Marriage and Family: Elective Outcome

Marriage to me is a funny thing. Growing up in our culture, a little girl is brought up thinking about falling in love, that man one day surprising you and getting down on one knee and giving you a diamond ring. Then you get married in a church, wearing a big white gown. Then after you get married you have babies, and live in a house with a dog and your husband and kids, and everyone wears gap, and everyone is happy! As you get older the realisation of what marriage is and how it creates and changes families. As you get older, your friends in class experience divorce, and get mad at one parent or another, you look at your own family and wonder, its not always the happy picture of perfection we are socialized to want and what we all want to create. I think to myself, that creates a gap in our ideas of marriage and the realities of marriage, and does this create the high divorce rate in our country? We are given an unrealistic and idealistic idea of what marriage and the idea of family should be. 

 

My good friend, she is 25, and she studied abroad in Denmark, and there she met her current boyfriend, they fell in love and have been dating for 5 years. She is American and he is Danish. She wants to get married and move there to be with him, because that is one of the only ways she can get a visa to stay there and live, but he is completely apprehensive. He explained to her, that in his country, the way relationships unfold is different than here ( this is not an excuse on his side, but she has seen it for herself, with her other friends in Denmark). A couple meets, date, live together for years, maybe have children and create a family. Then if they feel like they can make it, they get married. This shows that there is a level of realism in their ideas of marriage. That marriage is an important step to take, not something to run into, especially because it is for life. The realize that relationships might not last, so the put it to the test, by living together and experiencing their mate in all situations. Instead of viewing living together and the sexual relationship as negative. They view it as an important part of a relationship. In our society for a long time, and still now, it is seen as negative to live together before marriage, and having sexual relations before marriage. to a lot of people it is about religion, but it is an important part of relationships that need to be tested and experienced before you pledge your life to someone else. Many cultures have different ideas of marriage and families. Like in France, it is normal for a man to take a mistress, but here in America a president can get impeached for having an extra marital affair! 

 

Culture can affect how a relationship can form, and the expectations one has out of a relationship. Family in many cultures includes extended family, and not just the nuclear family of mother, father and children. Families in an anthropological sense, is important to be productive and survive. Many cultures rely on extended families to help raise children. Families and the relationships within the family system, help define who we are. The people in our family impart culture on to us. The family structure can tell a great deal about where emphasis and importance lies in a culture. Also the family structure tells a great deal about how the society is built. The family also influences greatly the culture of the children.

  

Many cultures are patriarchal, meaning the importance lies on the man in the family. The man is the bread winner, and the family depends a great deal on them. This can be seen in Western cultures, especially in the 1900's. In the 1950's there were lower divorce rates then now, because women were solely dependant upon the man in the family for food and shelter, women were less likely to be able to get jobs of their own, so women could not support themselves outside of the family structure, even if the relationships were abusive. Many people now say that our society's morals are being corrupted, but in essence, divorce rates have risen, because women have become financially independent that they can leave marriages and support themselves and their children. They have been given more options, in their relationships and family structures. And a lot of the times the family structures women create outside of marriage are more emotionally stable for children, than abusive or messy marriages. That change in society in turn had an affect on the structure of families and marriages, and reinforces that connection between the two.

 

To me, marriage is an important thing, that should not be taken lightly. I do not agree with the 48 hour marriage. Or marrying someone on a whim. I think that relationships need work and to be grown before deciding to build a family upon it. To have a strong family it needs a strong foundation, of equality and love and endurance. But to each his own.

SGO: Role of Food: France and the USA

The idea for my SGO came from my trip to Paris last year, and my observations about how food is treated and revered. We stayed in Paris for about ten days, and were able to observe the French, more specifically the Parisian culture from up close. We stayed near the city center, and every morning in the same spot there was a small market. Farmers set up their tents every morning, early in the morning, setting out their fresh produce, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fish. All the locals would come out around 8 in the morning. We would watch this ritual from a table outside a cafe. They all have their empty shopping bags to fill with what they would need for the day. The would walk through the market, touching and picking up the produce, smelling the items, and talking with the merchants at each spot. Then some would walk to the patisserie and pick up some pastries and fresh bread. Then they would disperse. 

This is what we observed in Paris. So many different behaviors about food. When I came back to the states, I was chatting with a lady at work, Simone, who is from Paris. I asked her about this, she said, "In France, people go shopping almost everyday to get the freshest food and vegetables. Why would you go out to the grocery store once a week, to buy vegetables to eat 7 days later, no, no, no." In my family at least, my mother hates to grocery shop, she goes once a week and stocks up on frozen and box foods. 

The role of food for the French is to savor, enjoy each morsel on the tongue. She told me, "You don't want to clutter the dish with to much flavor. You want to enjoy the natural flavors of what you are cooking." My discussion with her and my trip made me reflect about French culture in comparison to ours. I thought about my own relationship with food, and how my culture of food was passed down to me. What is the role of food in our culture? Is it something feared, enjoyed, simple or complex, fresh or not? How as a society do we pass down the idea of food. One of the first memories that came to mind was when i was a child. I hated my vegetables! Especially Lima beans. I would eat everything else, non vegetable off my plate, but my dad would sit down with me at the table, until I ate every single one of my plate. In our culture, healthy food has to be forced down our children's' mouth. I thought about those Lima beans. I love my mom, but those Lima beans were taken from a bag out of the freezer, put in a bowl and microwaved then put on my plate! of Course i would not eat them. God knows how long they had been frozen for! They had not been picked the morning or the day before, chosen with care and prepared to taste savory and delicious.

Food that is good for you is seen as tasting bad, and food that is bad for you taste so good. But that is not the case in french culture. No food is seen as bad, unless it is prepared incorrectly. The French make time for food. It is important where the food comes from and what ingredients they are putting in their mouth. The french love fat! it is what gives the food taste. The idea for french eating is moderation and savor. If you are enjoying each bite, you can not pig out. French cuisine is simple with high quality ingredients and considerable preparations.

Food plays such a large part of the french culture on wikipedia there is a list of all the types of restaurants for the french to indulge in their food: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine

Another big aspect of French culture of food is seasonality and region. They eat what food is in season, in the specific regions they are from. In Paris it is different because the are the metropolitan area, and most trains and means of transportation come through there. In summer more fruits and vegetables are eaten, and in the fall, mushrooms and wild game are served. And menus in restaurants reflect this seasonality. In comparison, as an American i could not really tell you what fruits and vegetables are available in what seasons! Or even where the fruits and vegetables i eat are grown. 

Wine and cheese are also a big part of French culture. It is a standard part of every day meals. This also offset the meals in the french culture. Breakfast is a light and quick meal, usually a pastries and coffee. Lunch or dejeuner is the larger more substantial meal in the French culture, then there is dinner which is a lighter meals. For the French it is quality over quantity, Americans seem to think of quantity over quality. The role of food in American culture is quite different then the French, and i think the term fast food culture sums up that difference. Instead of savoring, or enjoying preparing and eating food, Americans want food and they want it fast. I had a friend come from Paris and we took her out to dinner, she was completely shocked and amazed by the food. She found the portions to be completely absurd, and she said the food was completely to salty, and busy with tastes. The food served in a culture says a lot about the culture and what is important in the culture. The French culture is about pleasure, leisure and . Understanding French food is understanding the culture. Food is what nourishes the body and for the French it nourishes the soul. 

Race and Ethnicity: Elective Outcome

Race, is the concept of dividing people into groups based on characteristics, usually visible or superficial traits. Race is usually used in social or political context, race is usually given to a group by society. Race is used to put people into certain groups or categories. Ethnicity, is what a person individually identifies with, based usually on ancestry. Ethnicity is more about culture and traditions. Ethnicity is rituals, norms, culture learned, rather than based on  physical characteristics. Race has a more negative connotation, especially in the United States. For example, my boyfriend, who is from Croatia, has  a whole different view on the idea of black versus white, compared to how many people in the United States view it. Race in the United States is an extremely hot and touchy topic for many people, because of slavery and the inequality between people it has created.  My boyfriend thinks it is almost laughable the meaning and significance we give to race in our country. It is almost as if, because you have certain skin color or look a certain way, you should act a certain way. This is where the difference comes in with culture. You can have a certain skin color, and identify with a culture that does not fit in with the stereotype of that race.

An issue of debate is whether or not race is biological or a social construct. Meaning, is there anything biological that ties two people of the same race together, or was it created by society to lump people together. And studies have found that there is not a gene, that one race carries over another, and that people of two different races could have a more similar DNA than that of two people of the same race. It puts to rest the ideas or characteristic or stereotypes that come with the construct of race. The idea that all Asians are smart, or all black people are really athletic, there is nothing in genes that make a certain race predisposed to be good or bad at certain things. And you cannot tell a persons race by simply looking at their genetic make up. I think that it is nature for humans to categorize things into groups to make things easier to understand, to help the mind work, but I think it has turned into a negative. Because the individual person and their ideas and culture are overlooked when making broad assessments. Race can even be looked at as a way to divide. A person does not look like me so they are different, when in fact we are all human beings and are connected by a sense of humanity.

Ethnicity is what should be focused on because that is what can be studied or look at. What traditions, knowledge or rituals certain ethnic groups have, or what behavior or social structures they construct. Do certain ethnicity or groups of people that come from specific areas have an identity as a group and share an identity.  It can be based on linguistics, religions or culture. The discussion of ethnicity is more a discussion of connectivity between people, and not what divides them. Ethnicity, like culture can shape a person's experience. But ethnicity, and the pride of Ethnic group can have its downside. Like in Bosnia and Kosovo, where the Serbs were united in a national and ethnic pride, and felt superiority over other groups although they shared a linguistic identity, they felt ethnically and culturally different, and carried out genocide. I think that difference between people and what you can learn from others cultures and experiences should be embraced, and i think cultural anthropology helps that understanding move in a positive direction.

Self and Identity: Elective Outcome

Identity is the view we have of ourselves, and how we see ourselves in terms of the things around us. When one realizes that much of our identity comes from ideas in society, you can see the importance cultures have on the formation of one's identity. Our identities are in constant flux as our culture changes and grows. The self is a more private view, its how you feel inside about yourself rather than how you fit into your culture or social factors. There are different levels of perspective on how identity is formed.

 

There is much controversy over where the idea of self and identity comes from, nature versus nurture. The idea is that everyone is born with a blank slate, and the identity is built by ideas that come from your family and or society. The concept of identity differs from one culture to another, identity is expressed and interpreted, and it helps others understand you and identity helps you understand yourself. Our identities help us fit into our culture. Some believe that our identities our shaped by the society, and the characteristics we are given, ascribed characteristics. 

 

Your identity helps your experience of life, whether you are a man or a woman, young or old, black or white, or whatever is in between, that identity that you have, can shape how you view the world around you, and even how the world around you views you.  Some can experience their identity as a negative thing, because how they appear on the outside, but not be how they feel on the inside. There is a certain superficial level to identity, as compared to the idea of the self, which tends to be a more spiritual and personal concept. But it is certain, that culture plays a large role on how you view yourself and how your identity affects your experience. 

Egocentric, which our society is considered, and socio-centric, means that the notions of self are based on the culture and social relationship they hold. Egocentric means that they are in control of their own view of themselves, and it is not necessarily shaped by social context or relationships. 

 

One idea of the self and identity/ego, that I think is interesting, is a simplified Buddhist view. The Buddhist idea, in an extremely simplistic form, is that there is the ego and the self. Our ego is what drives us to act, we want to protect and satisfy our ego. But this leads to suffering, always striving to succeed. And through meditation a person can find your true self, the soul, etc. The worldly ego and identity is filled with emotional turmoil and conceals the true self. We are constantly trying to fulfill the roles of our identity, whether it be father, mother, daughter, student, teacher, etc. we can get caught up and loose sight of who we really are, our culture and society can cloud our life. 

When looking at different culture it is important to see how that culture affects a person's identity. Because it is through enculturation that we form our views about the roles we play in society.  For a female growing up in American society, what are the things that our culture tells us about females, and how does that shape how we think about ourselves. When we are little girls we are given barbie dolls and we are taught how to play house, to be kind and wear pink. That is how we are taught to define our identities as girls. Mothers teach their daughters rituals and habits to train them the play female roles in society, like learning to cook or clean how to garden and care for babies. These rituals are not taught to little boys, because that is not their identity. But when a little girl doesnt like pink or playing with dolls, or women that do not want to be mothers, they are looked upon as not feminine or there is something wrong with them. That affects their identity. That is an example of how our culture affects identity. Sometimes we can think our identity is one thing, and that can affect the actions we take in life. If a person thinks they are limited to one role in society they might be afraid to go beyond.

Globalization

Globalization, the world is becoming connected in more and more ways. Something that occurs in America, can directly affect a child in Bolivia. Words, ideas, people, diseases, products can travel around the globe, faster than anyone can imagine. Globalization can be seen in a positive and a negative light. A technologically advanced, first world country like the United States or Great Britain, can help a child in Africa of a disease they could die easily die of but can easily be cured of. Globalization is a process by which creates interdependence between people, governments and organization. An example of globalization is United States corporations dependency upon sweat shops and factories in other countries to produce cheap merchandise. This is a great downside of globalization.

I do not believe globalization is a good thing, but an inevitable process, as technology increases and ties between countries continue, especially economically, there is nothing you can do. Globalization is a double edged sword, it can create exploitation and bring countries into a world market. The most concerning aspect of globalization is the spread of culture, and especially western norms that is destroying culture and traditions in other countries. Can kill cultural diversity.

In globalization, anthropologist are most concerned on the impact that this interdependence and transfer of ideas has on people's everyday lives and how it changes norms and values. This is something that is very interesting, especially Western ideas impact on the traditions of the Chinese and Japanese, and how our pop culture is dramatically affecting hte norms of this generation. Sexual promiscuity is rising in these cultures, which is totally against the norms and values of the culture. And the growing consumerism of  these cultures, is of concern. Even western countries like Germany, are experiencing a surge of Americanism in their culture, especially the degeredation of their language with American words, such as "bloggen" and "backpack" and this is a real concern for the Germans who want to protect their language. This is a result of globalization and the prolonged and constant contact between cultures, whether it is economies, travellers, and internet interaction, cultures are seeing signs of homogenization, or a blend of cultures into one. When this begins to happen, it means a great loss of culture and traditions

"Underdeveloped" (in western terms) and indigenous civilizations are put in a bad situation by globalization, because of the fact their traditions, way of production do not fit into the capitalist mode of production or economy and they are left out and greatly dissadvantage. They are left out of the system and they cannot keep up, then they suffer greatly. Globalization threatens their ability to sustain their own economies. Their land and resources often become valued to companies from first world countries, and that lead to greater exploitation. Also the expansion of population and the acceleration of the growth of civilization has a huge impact on our environment. Climate change, air and water pollution, over fishing, over farming, deforestation are all issues that we will have to deal with and remedy because of globalization. Many factories are built in countries where there are no environmental protection and they can pollute without government regulations.

Anthropologists must used ethnography to study the affect of globalization on cultural practices. How globalization affects our lives, individually is more relative to anthropology rather than on a global scale. Anthropology takes that massive globalization that spans the whole world, and breaks it down and studies it on a local and small scale to truly understand it impacts. Globalization can be a scary thing, it makes our world smaller. To me it is a crazy idea that the food i eat everyday comes from other countries, it takes away from local communities, globalization takes the power out of our hands. Our clothes are made by poor people in other countries that are greatly affected by me and you. Someone we will never even meet are affected by the small things we do, and that is the result of our ever shrinking planet.

Power and Control: Elective Outcome

Power is the ability to get others to feel, think and act by your own exertions over others.

 

There are many aspects of power and control, within our lives and within cultures. Social control can happen between parents and children, influences by our governments and media to maintain and power over a society. In sociology it is referred to as ideological control, and it can happen in an overt or subtle way. It seems today in the United States, government and media are more and more tied together to maintain power over the people in respect to the Iraq war. The less the media shows images from the war and reports on the war, the less the American people pay attention, but you can show Britney Spears over and over, and people pay attention and talk about it. If the media showed more and more caskets with American flags, then the government's power over us, would be less. The idea of power and social control relate directly to the speech and language unit. This social mechanism is used to create conformity and group behavior. An example of the idea of using social control and norms to create conformity, is after 9/11 and when the Bush Administration decided to go to war in Iraq. 9/11 rallied the United States together, and made people more united, the Bush Administration used this patriotism to start an unnecessary war. But at the time, if anyone spoke out against the decision to go to war, it was a social norm at the time, to be called unpatriotic. The Bush Administration used the united country after 9/11 to to create norms of compliance, and social control through the media to keep people from talking out.

 

Control can be seen by laws, rules, and regulations. institutions are used to enforce laws, and these are a more direct, or formal form of control. But norms, myths, traditions, values are indirect, or informal forms of control, and it can be more powerful and successful. Power can take many forms. On large scales or small scale, from social control inside a family, a mother teaching a child what is right or wrong, uses norms and values, to achieve "good" behavior from their children. For anthropology it is an important aspect to study. It involves the norms, values, and traditions of a culture, and who in the culture holds the power. And the what extent the culture holds power over its people. To me it seems that all aspects of our lives are results of someone else's control over another. The institutions of school shaping what children think based on states guidelines of learning. Children, at home holding values that their parents want to instill in them, and probably traditions that were passed to them by their parents. All actions are in a way one person enacting power upon another. Again, we can see that in the speech and discourse unit, when we speak something it is an action, and that action is an exertion of power over another, or a struggle of power, that is seen in arguments.

As individuals make decisions and they effect others lives this is the point of power anthropologists watch, because this is the point when social structures have power. Hegemony is when one social group take power and advantage over all others. The hegemonic power has its hands in the formal and informal mechanisms of control, and the Formal mechanisms are used to enforce the informal ones. The Hegemonic aspect in our society are corporations. The have control over many aspects of our society. They try to build a society of consumerism through magazines, movies, commercials, so that we always want to buy, in essence making them more and more of a profit. Through commercials they give us our cultural ideas, and exercise social control. We go to school and are taught to behave and not think outside of the box, so we can fix inside of corporate boxes and be the busy obedient worker, that wont throw a wrench into the situation.

I think that most of our lives are examples of social control. The informal and formal mechanisms of control. Society dictates to us what we should do,  the paths we need to take to succeed, and if we do not follow that we can fail. If we do not take certain paths we can be looked down upon or shunned by society. We are given social roles and norms to follow, to make sure we all can be categorized and behave to our society's standard, and these things are ingrained in us by our schools, parents, and other institutions.

Ethnographic Exercise: Language, Speech and Discourse

Ethnographic Exercise: Words and Power

Concept Map

The event that I have chosen to observe, has to do with a few elements. I went to a class during lunch about a film called the Power of Nightmares, a British film, that was aired on the BBC around the world, but censored here in America. The fact that the film was censored was intriguing. It makes you think, there is something in this film, that people in power in the US do not want people to see. It shows the power that these words have. The film is about how the government, from the Reagan to Bush administration have used tactics of fear to scare the American people, and exercise power over them. The film discuss the similarities between the fundamental Islamic terrorists and the fundamental Neo-Conservatives in the United States. 

I watched the film on the Sierra campus the first time, and re watched the film at home with my father. The concept map is the ideology that the present Bush Administration uses to create fear in the American people and gain control and power. It only takes a small word like terrorist to spur a great deal of reactions. It reflects the ideology of fear, but has a great deal of more meaning and web of complexity. The word terrorism for America after 9/11 has been ingrained in us by the media and the government to mean, someone of Middle Eastern descent, that wants to blow up our buildings, because they hate the freedom that Americans have. Terrorism now goes hand and hand with Osama Bin Laden, and for a great deal of Americans, Iraq. It has created fear and racial tensions in American society. After 9/11 there were hate crimes against anyone who resembled the skin tone of someone of Arabic descent. This idea of terrorism, and the use of it to create fear and norms in our society, is an ignorant one. But it shows the power that words can have. Although, terrorism is a real threat, it does not include all the things that have been ignorantly associated with it now. 

This film is a documentary, and is not propaganda or false, it is just a different look into the idea of terrorism. The use of the word terrorism in itself, is propaganda or can even be considered a meme. it is part of an idea unit or mind virus, for most terrorist was a thing that no one really knew about or even thought about. But as the word was transmitted through the TV into our home and our minds, it was a word that was on our tongues and started to create ideas in our minds, and began to grow. Then we would talk about it within our families and friends, and the ideas and the words would grow, and would take on a life of its own. 

It in essence, was used to gain support of the people and to make people live in fear so they do not ask questions. After 9/11, i remember questioning, the war in Iraq and how that was tied to 9/11, but I was called unpatriotic and looked down upon by my friends. Discourse could not be entered into, with 9/11 and the Iraq war, there were only certain things that could be said or discussed without becoming an outcast or being looked upon as unpatriotic. I was only in high school, but the ideologically control was already evident. It just shows how strongly people can be controlled by words and fear. When I went to the showing of this film, a lot of people got up  and left and were upset about things the film was saying. That shows the strength of the ideology that has been created and the ignorance it can breed. Some people would not allow their reality to be changed by this film.

This directly relates to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis that are language shapes the way we perceive reality. If we are only given certain words and ideas about something, we can only see the world through those terms. In relation to terrorism. We are told, terrorist are Fundamental Muslim, they are from the Middle East, they hate America and want to harm us. Terrorists want to impose their ideology on us, they hate our freedom and democracy. If we are given these words, that anything that fits into any part of this we become judgemental towards. The fact that these words were given to us, it made it okay for most Americans to go into Iraq, because it is the Middle East and that is were terrorists are from. This shapes how we see the world, how we react to someone that is Muslim or from the Middle East. Words are a powerful thing, it shapes how people view other people, how we view situations, words have the power to take us to war, and words have the power of creating fear. In terms of the Speech Act theory what people say can determine how things happen and have a transformative effect on how others act. It is important to understand the context in which people are using language, is it to change your perspective? To command you to do something or do they have an expectation of you? When looking at language with the idea that it has the ability to shape your reality and perspective, you realize how much control speech and language has in your life. it plays into the role of enculturation and power and control. Subtle words and propaganda that one tacitly experience has a greater act. And people are constantly enacting control over you with only words. 

I think that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is a theory that works in reality, it is easy to understand, and observe this happen in your own life. The idea that your speech and language shapes your perspective on the reality around you is crazy, but true.  We are limited to think and express ourselves by the words and language we know. For example, my boyfriend is Croatian and that is his first language. Sometimes he wants to express something to me, but he tells me we don't have words in English that can express what he wants to say. Something that would take paragraphs and paragraphs in English, and still couldnt quite describe a feeling they have one word in Croatian to encompass it. Its an idea I sometimes cannot wrap my head around, but it is because my language limits my perspective and shapes what I can think about or even feel. For him, Croatian has a depth in meaning and more words to express emotions than English has, his perception and the language he has to express emotion, is vast!

Perspective and Experience

SHORT ESSAY 

Cultural shock pertains to being immersed into a foreign culture or situation, and a person is forced to cope with the situation without having the tools to cope or understanding. Culture shock, is in fact a shock to the system. Because culture is something that can be so tacit, we do not realize all the small things that we changed suddenly, can affect our system. A personal example of culture shock happened to me this summer. My boyfriend and I returned to his country, Croatia. We had been travelling through Europe for a month before we arrived there. We had stayed in hotels and with his family in all of the other countries we traveled, but in Croatia, the most inexpensive and customary way for travellers to stays is in the homes of people, especially in the tourist destinations. The bus drives you from the airport to the main city, in this case Dubrovnik. It is typical that once the tourist get off the bus, those who have empty apartments or rooms in their houses, come to the bus stop to show the tourists their spaces. So the bus stopped, and we gathered our bags, and as the bus doors opened, their were many people saying apartments, apartments, follow me, follow me. So my boyfriend who speaks the language found a lady and we began to follow, we were walking fast to her apartment, she was speaking in Croatian the whole time, having a conversation with my boyfriend. It was night and we were walking through the crowds down ally ways finally coming up to stairs where the apartment was located. She told us the price and told us to have a look around. By this time I was in complete shock, i couldnt breathe, my heart was racing, and I could barely speak. Our culture here, tells us to be on guard, to be weary of strangers, especially in foreign countries, and to keep to yourself. After I experienced a panic attack, my boyfriend and I left, sat down at a pizza place. He explained to me that it was costumary, that people rent rooms to make extra money, that most apartments are registered, and that it is normal. After that night, we found another apartment in a villa with a nice couple. They were the friendliest people, made us feel at home, and offered us drinks and to have a conversation with them. They gave us good beach spots and made our trip to Dubrovnik wonderful. But the panic that set in to the intial culture shock, is something i will always remember. This just goes to show, that when traveling to other countries and being immersed in other cultures is not an easy thing. One needs to be educated on those things that might be a shock to their system, to prepare yourself for the experience.

If a person has an idea, given to them by their culture it is deeply engrained. If another culture goes against those ideas, we might look upon something as negative, even though it is not negative, but just different than how one culture views things. For me, walking into a stranger's home to sleep and be safe was negative. But in this culture, opening your home and welcoming people in, is seen as natural and polite. Once I became familiar with the idea and values, I saw it in a different perspective.

This idea plays into ethnocentricism, being too attached to one's own culture. Putting your own culutre, ideas, and beliefs above another. And to go further, thinking one's own culture is more superior or more advanced than another. Thinking that your culture is right and the other culture is wrong, because it differs from your own. We take our view of life that as been impressed upon us by society as the best way of live or the best view of life. When you are ethnocentric, you view the world only through the lens of your own culture, and are not able to imagine life through someone else's point if view. Ethnocentricism is inevitably and negative. Cultural relativism tries to remedy this by saying there is no way to not judge another culture by one's own standards, there is no way to look upon another culture with out bias, therefore, we must suspend all judgement with observing other cultures. This idea cause trouble and conflicts with human rights perspective, because relativism negates human rights, for example the practice of female gential mutilation or arranged marriages. The conversation goes, like this between relativism and human rights perspective. Human rights perspective says, female genital mutilation is wrong, it goes against the rights of women and is a backwards practice, those people being violated need help. Relativists will say, there is no way you can judge, it is a different culture, and it has a meaning in their culture, you cannot look upon that practice and judge it based on what your culture says is right or wrong......

Ethnography

Methodology is a set of procedures used in anthropology to create order to the things the study. Its a formal classification. Methodology is categorized into two sub fields: qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative are the things that can be counted and represented as data. Qualitative methods focus on the qualities and characteristics of an object or event that cannot be counted or represented as numerical data.  Methodology is important in the general social science fields. Empiricism can play an important part in the foundation for anthropological methodology. It means that the "stuff" anthropologists talk about are observed through sight, conversations, etc. There is a further discussion of philosophy in anthropology which is that of realism vs. idealism. Realism is used here, because it refers to those things which are observed in reality, those things that we can find in observation and interactions. The fact that anthropologist base their ideas on those things that are seen and that are "real". But as the empirical, quantitative methodology happens, qualitative measures are incorporated and used in Ethnography. 

Ethnography is qualitative research methodology to study cultures. Some ethnographic methods used are interviews, conversations, surveys, observations and participation. Ethnographers study abroad to study cultures and participate in the culture as well as observe to get a good understanding of what key aspects of the culture are and to gather information. They may observe a ritual or celebration, interview people, survey them on different aspects of their lives. Ethnographers uses empirical data, but rely heavily upon the qualitative experience to learn about culture. They throw or immerse themselves into the culture to understand key aspects. Ethnography is not only used to learn about others cultures, but to see the relation between your culture and the culture you are studying. To see the differences and similarities, it helps to bring a holistic view and create a open mind.

The findings of ethnographers are usually recorded in the form of writings or a representation of a culture.  Writings can be a tricky subject when recording ethnographic research, because writings can often take on a certain bias, of one's own culture over the culture one might be researching. Dialogue and quotes become important in conveying the culture in the writing without the writers bias and personal ideas.

The Concept of Culture

Culture, a word that is so personal to everyone. Culture can be something you this about of something you do not even realize is a part of you. Culture, to me, are beliefs we hold, the clothes we wear, how we see beauty, things we hold important. Culture are our traditions, the food we eat, and how we eat it. The smells, colors, sounds you hear on a daily basis. Whether its birds chirping or sirens at midnight. Culture deals with the places we call home and what home means. Culture can be a big as a whole society or what happens inside of a family. Culture is whether or not you kiss your loved one in a park on a sunny day, or if you see that as disgraceful. Culture by definition is the learned and shared knowledge that people use to generate behavior and interpret experience. 

In my own experience, culture is what makes a person, whether or not you identify with your culture, it dictates your experiences. But culture is a changing thing. As I have travelled to various countries in Europe, i find that each place i go and each culture i experience, i pick something up and it becomes important to me and relative to my life. I build that upon things I've learned or use it to reevaluate things i have learned. Culture is a combination of experience and reflection. Enculturation is the process by which we learn our culture.  Because we all know, we are not born with culture but learn it as we grow. Culture is all around us, so by engaging in society, living in different groups we are constantly learning culture. As a baby you are with your family all the time, they are teaching you about life, bestowing their culture upon you, then you get older and go to school. Children learn culture from their teachers, what is right and wrong, then they learn things from the peers and create groups where cultures combine and new culture is created. Television imparts culture upon you. When you grow older and are in relationships, your partners culture rubs off on you. Because culture is everywhere, we are constantly being affected, so the process of enculturation never ends and is constantly happening.

We are constantly in contact with culture, and the ways in which culture is imparted upon us, happens in different ways. Cultural analysis helps the anthropologist to break down culture in terms of elements in order to understand it more clearly.There are two different kinds of culture, explicit and tacit culture. Explicit culture is cultural knowledge that people can talk about, its those obvious things about your culture. Most importantly explicit culture is what anthropologists use the to make observations, and understand cultures and can help them discover important key words and objects in culture. Words in a culture, either written or spoken, help to discover and understand cultures. Tacit culture is culture that is not expressed, its subtle, and not clear from just observations. Tacit culture can be seen in speaking differences, in the book it speaks about the different sound differences. In the United States, most people speak English, but from coast to coast, accents and pronunciation of words distinguish culture and geographical regions. Tacit culture can only be seen through behavioral observation. Culture can be words you pick up from a friends to a certain way you view the world. I was a nanny for a while, and the little girl I watch picked up culture when she started kindergarten. Her favorite show when she was still at home all the time was Dora the Explorer, she was on her on and enjoyed the show. She started in kindergarten in the fall, and her new "best friends" we little boys. She came home, and i asked her, would you like to watch Dora, and she said, nope! Dora is for little girls, I don't like girlie things. She had learned the show she watched was for girls, and because she was associating with boys more, she had picked up their ideas, that the show was for babies and little girls only.

culture is our guide to experience the world. it shapes our views.

culture events involve the arrangement of knowledge, practices and artifacts. it is a time when culture is exchanged, ideals, values, beliefs, thoughts are exchanged. The objects, spaces, actions are also important during a cultural event. These cultural events give life, shape to our experiences and life and further interactions. During my trip to Europe I took part in a cultural event, that is an experience, that I do not experience often, but that shapes the lives of people. When I was in Paris, it was the morning and we woke up and started walking down the street, we heard loud noises and their was a large group of people in the street. Their were police standing and watching the people. The people were chanting in French, they were laughing and talking, holding up signs, with the newly elected President Sarokzy. Cars were stopping and honking, smiling and going on. The French are known for protesting political matters that they do not like or agree with. That was something that I have never seen happen in the US. We had stopped and asked what was going on, the young man told us, that we were near the Sorbonne, which is a university in Paris, and they were having a protest against the newly elected President that they did not like. I thought something was wrong, but he informed us that protest happen all the time. Protesting is something that the French value. Having a voice and using it to influence change, is an ideal that they have had since the French Revolution. The idea that they could stand in the middle of Paris and make a statement, getting the people involved. There were many children with the parents, that had stopped to listen to the protest. For a child walking by, seeing this empowers them, and changes how they view themselves in a political system, and implants the idea that you can stand up for your rights. In another country, that might not be as acceptable. In the US, where we have freedom of speech, that is not something we see. It is a cultural event that is inherent in the Parisian culture. It is an cultural event that shapes their view and shapes how they influence things.

Culture is important, there are so many different cultures worldwide, that differ from each other so much. But once you have a look inside the culture, and understand the meaning behind beliefs and behavior, it brings depth to the people and the culture. Something you might have looked at as strange, becomes clearer and the importance of objects, ideas, beliefs becomes meaningful, and full of substance.