2-Exploring Ethnographies - Assignment Example

Assignment Exploring Ethnographies Assignment Sheet Social Offenses 2. Continent: South America 3. Sub-Region: Eastern Bororo, Mato Grosso, Brazil4. Hunter-Gatherer Culture Name: Bororo5. Read through the paragraphs provided by your search. Find a paragraph that describes something about your subject that differs from a practice (or aspect of a practice) in modern-day American culture. Select, copy (ALT+c), and paste (ALT+v) that paragraph below:One can judge the severity with which the separation of the exogamic “halves” is observed, even after marriage, by the following observations by Colbacchini ( o.c. , 134 pp.

49 and 50); “By their totemism, it is absolutely forbidden for the men of one dynasty to talk, to smile at, or merely to notice or to look at the women of another dynasty. This is observed meticulously and scrupulously. The men of any age, meeting by chance on the road or any place one or more women, not only will keep from being stopped, they will not look at them, [Page 20] 134 cont. will even turn away to look toward the opposite side, as though to indicate that they want even to escape the danger and occasion of their eyes meeting.

Failure in this traditional precept is considered very grave, and the culprit would fall into the general indignation, into the censure of all, since any look or smile between persons of different sex and diverse dynasty is generally considered bad and immoral. Never will the women of one dynasty let themselves be seen eating or drinking in the presence of men of another dynasty, and vice versa. There is not, however, any prohibition of these relations between individuals of the same dynasty, be they men or women.

Therefore, when one sees, a man talking to a woman, one is to understand immediately that they are from the same dynastic branch, because, even between husband and wife, the same rules are observed in public, even though not so scrupuleusly; it will, however, be difficult for the man to talk or to offer anything to his own wife in public, to place her by his side or for them to be together, except when they leave the house and both go to gather fruits, small tubers, or other things in the ferest; this is considered a private act.”6. What aspect of the culture subject of your group differs from a practice (or aspect of a practice) in modern-day American culture?

Write at least three sentences explaining how it differs, providing at least one example. America is rich in cultural diversity; one can find people belonging to different backgrounds, ethnicity, and race sharing the same space. American constitution allows full freedom to its residents to enjoy life of their own choice. A Negro can marry an Irish born, or a Latin can choose to fall in love with an Asian. There are no social implications on individuals in America to limit the circumference of their social circle specifically to their own community. 7. In your own words, what is ethnocentrism?

Ethnocentrism refers to the act of judging the socio-cultural values of other ethnic group, with reference to one’s own customs and rituals. At times this approach seems biased and flawed, because to understand the true aspects of values prevalent in a particular culture, one needs to obtain a pragmatic approach. This is because judging others cultural values, against the ones that one has learnt over the years is like applying socio-cultural stereotypes. Obviously, every community has its own rationale for following or observing a particular ritual, and judging their values against your own does not settle the differences, and as a matter of fact it is better to accept diversity than to enforce uniformity. 8. Provide an example of an ethnocentric (biased) description of an aspect of the subject you selected for your culture group (1-2 sentences): Bororo does not allow the intermingling of the opposite gender in public places, which reflects a conservative social setup.

Even for married couples, their public interaction is not encouraged. 9. Provide an example of a non-ethnocentric (unbiased) description of that same aspect (response to #8) in your own words as though you were an ethnographer (1-3 sentences): Every culture has its own values, while considering the social interaction of opposite gender in public as taboo; one cannot simply tag Bororo culture to be conservative one. May this is a manner in which they intend to flourish modesty, and respect their women.10. Avoiding ethnocentrism, try to think of one reason why the practice you described may be different from that in American culture (2 or more sentences).

For help, read through the “culture summary” for your culture (see instruction sheet) to learn more about them. American cultural is multifaceted, there is no specific ritual that is unacceptable to people. Moreover, the continent in itself is hub of cultural integration, and it harbors people from all the various background. American culture offers equality to both the genders, due to which the social interaction between the two genders is not considered as taboo; men and women belonging to different origins can be friends in America, and there are no defined limitations for the extent of their relationship.