5 descriptive words you would use to describe the Nacirema population.
Part A
1. Superstitious
The Nacirema are deeply Superstitious, believing that their physical health and social relationships are heavily influenced by ritual and magical practices. Their daily routines are driven by a firm belief that the body is inherently ugly and prone to disease, which can only be countered through ritual. For example, they keep "magical potions" in charm-boxes within their shrines, which they believe protect them from illness. They also visit “holy-mouth-men” to ensure that their teeth do not decay and that their mouths remain powerful in social interactions.
2. Obsessive
The Nacirema exhibit an Obsessive focus on their physical appearance and hygiene. Every day, they perform body rituals with great care and precision, from the daily mouth-rituals to the extensive use of magical charms. This obsession is particularly evident in their treatment of their mouths.
3. Ritualistic
Rituals form the core of Nacirema society. Every action, from the mouth-rite to the rituals performed at the latipso (temple for the sick), is governed by strict ceremonies and traditions. These rituals are often painful or uncomfortable, yet the people continue to engage in them due to their belief in their magical power. For instance, the medicine men at the latipso perform harsh treatments on the sick, involving rituals that "purify" the individual. Despite the potentially harmful nature of these practices, the Nacirema sick adults are not only willing but eager to undergo the protracted ritual purification
4. Masochistic
The Nacirema’s cultural practices seems like they have Masochistic tendencies as many of their rituals involve physical pain or discomfort. For example, men scrape and lacerate their faces as part of their daily rituals, and women subject themselves to extreme treatments, such as baking their heads in small ovens for about an hour. These painful rituals are believed to purify or improve the body in some way. Also, the rituals at the latipso are so harsh that children are warned that the temple is a place "where you go to die," yet adults willingly undergo these torturous treatments to seek healing.
5. Secretive
The Nacirema are a Secretive people when it comes to their rituals. These practices are not openly discussed, even within the family. Most of the rituals are conducted in private and only discussed with children. The secrecy surrounding these rituals is further highlighted by the specialized nature of their practitioners, like the medicine men and holy-mouth-men, who work in isolation and often use a secret language to communicate their magical instructions. The ritualistic nature of these customs is hidden behind layers of mystique, which adds eeriness to the thought of the Nacirema people.
Part B
1. As an American, I feel a bit uncomfortable with some of my word choices like "obsessive" and "masochistic." These terms carry negative connotations in American culture, implying unhealthy behaviors. When looking at the Nacirema, I realize these words might not be fair or accurate, especially since their rituals have cultural significance that we might not fully understand. It makes me think about how I might judge my own culture differently if I were an outsider .
2. Yes, some of my choices show ethnocentrism. "Masochistic" and "obsessive" reflect my own cultural bias because they suggest unhealthy behaviors. In American culture, we tend to avoid pain and obsession, so I unintentionally judged the Nacirema practices based on my values. On the other hand, "ritualistic" and "secretive" are more neutral and just describe the practices without judgment.
3. Instead of "masochistic," I could say "pain-tolerant" or "endurance," which sounds less judgmental. Instead of "obsessive," I could use "meticulous" or "detailed," which are neutral and focus on the care taken in rituals.
4. It's important to avoid ethnocentric judgments because they can misrepresent a culture and overlook its unique values. Describing a culture without bias helps us understand their practices more. But, it's hard to completely avoid personal bias because our own experiences and how we see the world. As anthropologists, we can try to be aware of our biases and strive for more open mindedness
Hello Jamie
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with how they very much so ritualistic that they knowingly and willingly attended to these so called "ceremonies" just to feel better. It's interesting to think the extreme measures one would take back in the day just get some sort of help. I had the same view with how they were much devoted to these practices.
Word choices reviewed and credit given. I'll offer more feedback after your Part B submission.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to include this information for all students and then provide more personalized feedback after that.
ReplyDeleteSo the purpose of this assignment is to put students into the position of feeling what it is like to have an outsider describe and perhaps judge their own culture. But it is also to grasp the dangers of using one person's description of a culture to learn about it.
With regard to your word choices, when you were asked to evaluate (in part B) any bias indicated by your words, two issues should have come to mind:
1. Do your words imply *judgement* of the behaviors describe?
2. Do your words *accurately* describe those actual behaviors.
The first issue is the easier of the two. You probably came into this course expecting to explore the matter of ethnocentrism and cultural anthropologists avoiding their own bias.
The second one is possibly something you didn't consider but is just as important. When you describe a culture, you not only want to be unbiased, but you want to accurately communicate a behavior to others.
So let's start here by exploring what it is Miner is actually describing in this article:
1. Self-care and hygiene at home.
2. Dental care by a professional dentist.
3. Visits to a hospital and medical professional.
There are a few other things that Miner references, but let's start with these three.
So in addition to the issue of bias/judgement, do your word choices *accurately* describe these practices? Can a person reading your words better understand these practices?
Let's work through your Part B responses:
Delete1. "These terms carry negative connotations in American culture, implying unhealthy behaviors."
Okay, but they carry negative connotations *regardless* of the culture, but yes, they do imply unhealthy behaviors.
"When looking at the Nacirema..."
So I want to make sure you understand the secret here: Horace Minor was wring about the American culture. "Nacerima" spelled backwards is "American". It isn't clear from your comment here that this is apparent to you.
"It makes me think about how I might judge my own culture differently if I were an outsider ."
Good. That was partially the point.
2. "In American culture, we tend to avoid pain and obsession, so I unintentionally judged the Nacirema practices based on my values."
Again, Miner was describing our culture. Does that give you a different perspective on your word choice?
That said, I agree that "obsessive" and "masochistic" do carry heavy negative bias. But what about 'superstitious'? That word was chosen before you understood that Miner was describing out own hygiene practices. Is it "superstitious" to brush our teeth? Go the hospital? Visit our dentist to have a cavity filled?
And remember that bias might also be revealed by apparent judgement but also by inaccurately describing a practice. All cultures have aspects that can be considered "secret" and "ritualistic" (especially to outsiders). How do your word choices distinguish these practices from other cultural practices?
3. I sympathize with the difficulty in locating unbiased, descriptive words. That said recognize that the difficulty in choosing alternate words may not lie with the words themselves but the process of describing this culture in the first place. Part of what I want you to understand here is that you chose these words based upon a biased narrative...Horace Minor's narrative was designed to be a biased outsider's view of this culture, so nearly all words you choose are going to perpetuate that bias. It might be better to recognize that this attempt to define a culture with individual words isn't possible in the first place. It is a futile and biased practice and doesn't reflect what anthropologists are trying to do in their jobs. As an anthropologist, your job is to not describe from an outsider's perspective but to understand a culture.. and that means starting to see it as insiders do.
4. "Describing a culture without bias helps us understand their practices more."
Okay, yes, describing CAN contribute to greater understanding of a culture as long as you don't get stuck on those descriptions and go no further. If you describe a person brushing their teeth as "ritualistic" and then leaving it at that, are you *really* understanding the process? We can get bogged down in describing and fail to dig deeper into exploring practices. A trap to avoid.
And while Anthropologists can strive to avoid bias and practice this skill, I suggest it is just as important to be aware that our biases are deeply ingrained in our psyche and are likely impossible to avoid completely. Better to be aware of this and be receptive to those who point it out when it happens. This is one of the reasons anthropologists collaborate with others... so that they can watch out for each other's bias seeping into their work.