Sociology Nacirema
kdrysch January 23, 2014 Writing Assignment 1
Horace Miner’s article “The Body Ritual” accurately depicts the obsession the United States has with self-image, while disguising Americans as a tribe called the Nacirema. The article shows how someone outside of the United States could potentially view America’s culture as strange with all of our rituals and self-obsession. “The Body Ritual” can provide examples of many topics presented in Sociology and people’s lives today such as culture, culture relativism, ethnocentrism, and qualitative research methodology. “The Body Ritual” was written in 1956, a time when people’s basic understanding of different culture was insufficient. (Hyung Kim, 2012) The article focuses on the Nacirema and the strange beliefs and superstitions that happen within their culture. If someone is reading this for the first time they may not catch on to Miner’s satirical delivery and unknowingly assume the Nacirema is a Native American tribe. “Instead Miner was talking about common behaviors of Americans that he turned into supernatural and magical rituals. What this actually shows is how language can shape the reader’s impression of a culture in a way that causes people to understand in a totally different perspective.” (Hyung Kim). Miner tricked people into thinking that everyday people, places, and things were a part of a foreign culture. For example; calling bathrooms “shrines”, Doctors “medicine men”, pharmacists “herbalists”, hospitals “latipsohs” and thermometers “magic wands in the supplicants mouths.” (Miner, 1956)
I have to be honest. At first I did not realize that this article was the excerpt that was in the book. It was only when I started my research that I found out Nacirema really meant American. I felt so dumb
Horace Miner’s article “The Body Ritual” accurately depicts the obsession the United States has with self-image, while disguising Americans as a tribe called the Nacirema. The article shows how someone outside of the United States could potentially view America’s culture as strange with all of our rituals and self-obsession. “The Body Ritual” can provide examples of many topics presented in Sociology and people’s lives today such as culture, culture relativism, ethnocentrism, and qualitative research methodology. “The Body Ritual” was written in 1956, a time when people’s basic understanding of different culture was insufficient. (Hyung Kim, 2012) The article focuses on the Nacirema and the strange beliefs and superstitions that happen within their culture. If someone is reading this for the first time they may not catch on to Miner’s satirical delivery and unknowingly assume the Nacirema is a Native American tribe. “Instead Miner was talking about common behaviors of Americans that he turned into supernatural and magical rituals. What this actually shows is how language can shape the reader’s impression of a culture in a way that causes people to understand in a totally different perspective.” (Hyung Kim). Miner tricked people into thinking that everyday people, places, and things were a part of a foreign culture. For example; calling bathrooms “shrines”, Doctors “medicine men”, pharmacists “herbalists”, hospitals “latipsohs” and thermometers “magic wands in the supplicants mouths.” (Miner, 1956)
I have to be honest. At first I did not realize that this article was the excerpt that was in the book. It was only when I started my research that I found out Nacirema really meant American. I felt so dumb