Raybeck describes several adventures and misadventures involving field research in his account of the year and a half he spent in Kelantan. He also discusses the understanding, humility and scars that these experiences may leave behind. Raybeck provides in-depth descriptions of Kelantanese society and culture. He addresses topics such as political structures, the status of women, kinship, linguistics, and economics. Additionally, he demonstrates for us how challenging yet rewarding anthropological fieldwork can be, and we see how he builds rapport in a research setting in order to ensure that the information he acquires is reliable.
Two of the main techniques used by Raybeck were learning the language, and interviewing key informants.
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In fact, this extra effort to blend in with and accept the Kelantanese way of life is what perhaps prevented Raybeck’s presence from having an impact on the culture he was studying.
There are many instances throughout the ethnography when the writer appears to be going through culture shock, and the impact of the culture he is studying on him becomes evident. For instance, thed Kelantanese disregard and even contempt of the concept of privacy is something that takes him and his wife some getting used to. Similarly, the ethnographer is confused when their dressing in traditional garb is interpreted as him and his wife’s willingness to convert to Islam. There are other times through his stay when he is expected to take a stand on political and ethical matters, and he finds himself struggling to maintain neutrality yet not earn the contempt of the villagers.
Raybeck encountered numerous ethical issues, including but not limited to prostitution, murder, and smuggling. As before, the writer tried his very best to adopt a neutral stand, and participate only minimally and if asked to by the parties involved. Raybeck quickly learns that one’s actions in such matters are what are used to gage one’s loyalty to a specific group or individual within the community. Aware of this impact, he tries to stay as
Culture is defined as the traditions, customs, norms, beliefs, values and thought patterning passed down from generation to generation (Jandt 2010). The world consists of many different cultures. In this Ethnographic Interview, I was given the opportunity to explore and learn more about a culture different from my own. Through observation I’ve have seen how people of different cultures differ from mines. For example, the type of foods a person
The chapter continued to discuss how people experience other cultures when they are removed from their area to a different place. This occurs in the form of culture shock people experience new traditions that are unfamiliar to them when the come to a place that is home to another culture. Human development may also include joining the ideas of various cultures and forming it into a new concept. It puts heavy emphasis on learning other cultures in an unbiased form in order to compare and make observations. This chapter also studies of culture have been able to advance over time and how change is an essential aspect of
In his book Mad Dogs, English, and the Errant Anthropologist, Raybeck discusses his observations as he immerses himself in Wakaf Bharu, a city in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Throughout the ethnography, he discusses the various differences that he observes with the Kelantanese culture and the American culture, while using his prior knowledge to explain the observations he takes note of. By using these observations, Raybeck proceeds to answer different Naturalistic Questions which explain how Raybeck gathers the information and in what ways his studies impact the culture. Then, he elaborates on the economical aspect of the culture he studies, explaining how relationships
James P. Spradley (1979) described the insider approach to understanding culture as "a quiet revolution" among the social sciences (p. iii). Cultural anthropologists, however, have long emphasized the importance of the ethnographic method, an approach to understanding a different culture through participation, observation, the use of key informants, and interviews. Cultural anthropologists have employed the ethnographic method in an attempt to surmount several formidable cultural questions: How can one understand another's culture? How can culture be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed? What aspects of a culture make it unique and which connect it to other cultures? If
After taking a Sociology class this semester, I learned a lot of about the different topics and concepts in this course and how they are related to our society, which has changed my perspective as well as how I view and see the meaning of my surroundings. I would also think about what would be going on inside a specific person's mind and how he or she was feeling. After learning about different concepts in Sociology and watching the videos presented in class, it became easier to just stop and think about a person, wonder who that person was, and be curious about that person's life story. We pass by people all the time every day, but we never really know what is going on with them and don't really think about it or care since it is so
It is first important to define what ethnography is because it is a prominent method that social scientists use in their research (Roy, lecture 4). Professor Roy defines ethnography as looking at culture – a methodological skill of observation in a natural setting. Chambliss was able to do this with his qualitative research at Hanibal. Qualitative research, compared to quantitative, is often characterized by a depth of information from a limited number of cases (Ragin & Amoroso 28). This type of study relies on the human component of interaction in the real world. Chambliss actively engaged with
Anthropology is defined, in the most basic terms, as the study of other cultures. This field can subsequently be divided into more specific sects, and contain more precise defining characteristics, but this definition is essentially all that is needed. Anthropology is a science that attempts to look at other cultures and draw conclusions to questions that are raised while studying. An anthropologist is someone who accepts what is presented before them and is driven by an urge to understand each presentation as thoroughly as possible. Once the concept of anthropology is accepted, one must identify the means of reaching the goal of this field. In the sect of social anthropology, this vehicle is known as
I live in a country where I can meet people from all cultures and walks of life on a daily basis, yet still I have felt like a stranger in this “melting pot”. In the United States, the idea of diversity is a term I have heard many times when speaking of ways to heal the past of slavery and segregation, but I think that in the current political climate, diversity is seen as an enemy to the American way of life. I am an outsider in the country I call home, and my cultural background has impacted the way I see the world.
On the playground, I met who will soon to be my first best friend, shortly after I had my first kiss. Kissing a girl, I felt so scared of what it meant that I knew I had to make myself the way I believed was right. I thought the best way was denying and eliminating all feelings that I had of the opposite sex because I never saw two of the same sex could be together. Little did I know my mom is gay but, she was too afraid to talk about it at the time so, it led me to struggle with my sexuality growing up. I developed strong feelings for my best friend and I believed that I just loved her because she was my best friend. I quickly learned that I loved her in a stronger way and still not knowing how to deal with my feelings, I started to hate my
There are all kind of feeling that are transpiring throughout my mind when think of the term cultural analysis. In executing the communication concepts of African American cultural, I found that the Chinese and African American cultural are strongly tied to their beliefs and family concepts. I define myself through my culture as being an African American male, thought out religions, education, and family is very essential in my culture. Also, being limited to making lifestyle changes, and the different ways we communicated with each other are how I define myself through my culture. Being African American my perception of my culture is that we as a community are high in health, crime, education, and public housing, which implies welfare, government assists, black on black crime, and drug abuse. Being an African American, other cultures have a better chance at getting better jobs, education, and opportunities in life.
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My name is Sarah Ohly. I am a Cultural Anthropologist, I am in the Southern Kuril Islands
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The distinction between great and little traditions thus remains valid and vital although relatively few anthropologists have, over the years, been able to achieve the balance of philological, historical and anthropological talents required for their ideal study. As Redfield (1956) understatedly acknowledged when he outlined his vision, ‘It makes anthropology much more difficult and very much more interesting’.
The people of the Middle East region live a simple life much like the majority of Americans, except for the lack of electricity, running water and technology, depending on the locality of the social group. Families farm their land growing sources of food and poppy to trade and barter with others within the community. The households that live in the more rural regions rely on their land and harvest for survival. Living with the local populace of the Helmand Province of Afghanistan from October 2009 to May 2010, I learned a lot about the Afghani culture and the challenges the members of the Helmand Province community face daily with the strong