The author’s purpose in writing this article was not to show the “Nacirema” as an example of how extreme human behavior can become‚ but how an outside perspective can affect your perception of an alien culture. If one were to look at the “Nacirema’s” cultural behaviors regarding physical appearance and health without any insight or knowledge of the specific beliefs or values of that culture‚ they might seem bizarre and even incomprehensible. By showing behaviors and “rituals” performed by this unknown
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point has‚ in fact‚ been expressed with respect to clan organization by Murdock (1949: 71).[2] In this light‚ the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go. Professor Linton [3] first brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago (1936: 326)‚ but the culture of this people is still very poorly understood. They are a North American
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Article 1: Body Ritual among the Nacirema The narrator writes about the strange rituals that people from the Nacirema tribe performs. After reading the article‚ you understand that the Nacirema tribe represents the American people. Another way you can tell that the Nacirema tribe is about the American people is because “Nacirema” is actually America backwards. The narrator uses many different references to explain our everyday doings as rituals. Some of the references in which he put were Medicine
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Clifford 2005[1997]:207 Clifford de Certeau 2009[1990]:171 1 2 James Clifford Anthropological Locations 1997 6 Lévi-Strauss Lévi-Strauss Lévi-Strauss 1950 Lévi-Strauss Lévi-Strauss James Boon 1982 Horace Miner American Nacirema … 1956:505 Renato Rosaldo 1993 Rosaldo Lévi-Strauss Malinowski 1991 Malinowski Rosaldo 1986 7 E.Evants-Pritchard Foucault being there Clifford Geertz being there 1988:4 : � �being there �ibid.:4-5 — de Certeau de
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INTRODUCTION After reading Laura Bohannan’s Shakespeare in the Bush and Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema‚ a common theme presents itself between the two articles. Ethnocentrism‚ particularly within the U.S.‚ is elucidated through the actions of Bohannan while in West Africa‚ and the reaction of any American reading Miner’s piece about the “magical” Nacirema culture. In Bohannan’s piece‚ she struggles to prove that Hamlet is a universal story that any culture can easily understand. She
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article‚ “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner‚ the author’s purpose is revealed through judgemental and magical word choice. The author’s purpose is shown through his judgmental word choice. For example‚ to describe going to the dentist he uses the words‚ “ritual torture”‚ “augers‚ awls‚ probes and prods” and “gouge.” All of the words that Horace Miner used to describe going to the dentist sound negative and foul. The words make people judge the Nacirema for doing these ill sounding “rituals”
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Cultural Perspectives of Dress JOURNAL ENTRY CHAPTER 1 1.6 Body Ritual among the Nacirema Horace Miner‚ University of Michigan In the article‚ the author introduces us alleging that the anthropologist is familiar with so many different behaviors that it is hard to believe he can be shocked by some exotic culture. However‚ he specifies later that the piece is just about how far humans can reach regarding their demeanors and rites. Along the article‚ Miner describes the habits – I might just
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The most interesting topic that was covered this quarter was in Week 2‚ Chapter 2: Culture and Society. This was also when the class read the article Body Ritual Among the Nacirema by Horace Miner. This whole week was so intriguing and diverse‚ one in particular term made a large impression on me‚ and this was “rituals” as explained by Barken (p. 36) This term and act initially brought a sense of familiarity among all cultures‚ ethnicity groups‚ and societies‚ because each one of us performs a ritual
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“Body Rituals among the Nacirema” is an article written by Horace Miner about a group of people‚ the Nacirema‚ and their everyday functions or rituals. Miner relates the culture‚ practices‚ values‚ and beliefs of a seemingly exotic and strange tribe. He vividly and descriptively describes behaviors and activities that are interpreted as unusual and strange. The tribe Miner depicts seems primal and uncivilized‚ and yet somewhat familiar. They are a “North American group living in the territory between
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Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Edward Hamilton Sociology Professor January 15‚ 2014 The “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner‚ is an article that examines the various rituals that manifests within industrialized societies‚ specifically referencing to the United States. In the article Miner joked about the invasion of privacy and the obsession of becoming immortal. Miner provides gives outstanding evidence that the characteristics or an attitude of the human
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