Eating Christmas in the Kalahari - 906 Words

The sources of cultural misunderstanding made by the anthropologists in the readings from Spradley and McCurdy are affected by many factors including naive realism, culture shock and fully understanding what is culturally and ethically appropriate. Naive realism is the belief that people see the world in the same way, and culture shock is a condition of confusion and feelings of loneliness and anxiety experienced by someone suddenly entering a new culture. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari by Richard Lee is a perfect example of naive realism. Lee thought that Christmas would be seen throughout the world in a similar manner. As Lee stated, individual who celebrate this holiday feel Christmas is supposed to be the day of†¦show more content†¦Anthropologists then, write ethnographies which are first hand detailed description of a living culture. Often anthropologists will find individuals within the society who are willing to become informants. Even though informan ts can be very helpfully, they often hold bias views about their culture. Some anthropologist must learn new and sometimes unwritten languages and this may require extra training. An anthropologists class, race, gender, language, dress, religion, and age, all effect how he/she will be interpreted by the local people.(Cultural Anthropology pg31). Each step in anthropological research brings about dilemmas common to any human interaction, engagement versus detachment, subjectivity versus objectivity, particularization versus generalization, induction versus deduction(Fieldwork, Ethnography and Ethics in Anthropology). On many occasions, the anthropologist will leave their projects, with a new found respect and begin to question their own cultures. For example Lila Abu Lughod, an anthropologist was accompanied by her father to Cairo for he knew and understood how a young unmarried woman would look within his culture. She would have been considered untrustworthy and living within a family where the males in her life have no concern for her well being. Sometimes as the researcher is familiarizing his/her self with the subjects, she may become acculturated and begin to see herself as a member of the group.Show MoreRelatedEating Christmas in the Kalahari1096 Words   |  5 PagesEating Christmas in the Kalahari Eating Christmas in the Kalahari is an intriguing article written by Richard Borshay Lee. In the article, Lee tells of his time working as an anthropologist in the Kalahari and studying the hunting and gathering subsistence economy of the !Kung Bushmen. Lee (1969) writes: The Bushmen’s idea of the Christmas story, stripped to its essentials, is â€Å"praise the birth of white man’s god-chief†; what keeps their interest in the holiday high is the Tswana-Herero customRead MoreEating Christmas in Kalahari Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesEating Christmas in the Kalahari Alec Smith Ivy Tech Community College Sociology 111 November 8, 2014 Confusion in Cultures The perception of foreign cultures can at times be quite peculiar. The article â€Å"Eating Christmas in Kalahari† by Richard Borshay Lee, foretells a classic example of cross culture misunderstanding when people from different cultures operate in a culturally unfamiliar environment. Richard Lee, a social anthropologist, explains what he learned living with the !Kung BushmenRead MoreSociology Paper 2893 Words   |  4 PagesLee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari Page 1 My View of Lee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari A Lynn Byrne My View of Lee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari Page 2 Abstract My view of the bushmen teaching humility in their Christmas practice is contained in this paper based on the information gleaned from Lee’s article Eating Christmas in theRead MoreChristmas in Kalahari Essay843 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari† by anthropologist Richard Lee demonstrates many more concepts in sociology. In the article Lee is doing fieldwork in the Kalahari desert observing the hunting and gathering practices among the !Kung (Ju/’hoansi). Lee experiences many times of cultural misunderstandings related to naà ¯ve realism, cultural shock, and also not fully understanding what is culturally and ethically appropriate. He learns a very valuable lesson when, in his eyes, has a perfect idea forRead MoreEssay about Etic vs. Emic Approaches in Anthropology1697 Words   |  7 Pagesresearch should be used in the field. Cultural anthropology should focus on a joint permutation on both the etic and emic-oriented research styles t o produce the most useful results because of the advantages and disadvantages both contain. â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari,† â€Å"Shakespeare in the Bush,† and â€Å"Instructor’s Notes: Emic and Etic† are all intelligent sources that have helped lead me to the conclusion that a joint permutation of etic and emic is best for doing research in the field. This paperRead MoreCultural Anthropology : Human Nature1241 Words   |  5 Pagesinterpretation and experience. The article â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari† showcases the level of difficulty for Richard Lee to set aside his own beliefs and emerge into a culture other than his own. Simultaneously, the article depicts how personal interpretations can interfere between people. For North Americans like myself and Lee, Christmas is sought to be a time of joy and happiness where family and friends unite. It is often easy to forget that Christmas is not celebrated universally and is ratherRead More Humility Among the Kung! Essay704 Words   |  3 Pagesmethods. Such was the case with Ontah, the anthropologist in the story, â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari.† As an expression of gratitude towards the !Kung Bushmen and there families for there cooperation, Ontah purchased the largest meatiest ox he could find for the Christmas festivities. After living with the !Kung Bushmen for three years, with experience and observation of the Tswana-Herrero custom of slaughtering an ox for Christmas, makes it apparent that Ontah’s ox was not the choice of a novice.Read MoreNanda and Warms, Bodley, Lee Study Guide1662 Words   |  7 PagesAnthropology 03 Readings- Nanda and Warms:   Chapters 1-3,5 Bodley: Chapters 1-2 Lee: entire book (including Appendix A and B) Videos:   â€Å"First Contact† â€Å"Bushmen of the Kalahari† â€Å"N!ai†Ã‚   Topics: Concept of culture- The learned, symbolic, at least partially adaptive and ever-changing patterns of behavior and meaning shared by members of a group. - Almost all behavior is learned - Cultural norms and values are shared by people - All Cultures change Pidgin English- A simplified languageRead MoreDumplings’ Symbolic Significance in Chinese Culture and My Life875 Words   |  4 Pagessince I came to US. I spend Spring Festival with my friends last year. We made a great dinner and many dumplings together to celebrate the most important holiday of the year. Like the customer for Christmas that people usually buy gift for their family members, the heart of Spring Festival is making and eating dumplings. Carrier indicates that the gift creates problems â€Å"because the objects people confront in such societies overwhelmingly are impersonal commodities. And because these objects are impersonal