Ethnography

This week’s readings gave us a completely different style of writing. Unlike Fadiman’s ethnography, Dempsey seeks to capture the essence of andleg mál at face value and without any serious attempt at defining the sociological aspects that underline the Icelandic people’s experiences. I personally love this because she is respecting the wishes of whom she is writing about. She says in the introduction (13), “When I asked people what they wanted most to find in this book…I often heard the hope…

In the Feminist Ethnography book, the authors have raised the question; If it possible for a feminist to be an ethnographer? And as a woman who considered herself a feminist I have faced some issues, with certain subjects. I understand that part of being an anthropologist (which I am not) is to try to understand certain things within its cultural context. However, most of the discussions we had in class were about issues and people who struggle to have “some” rights, or recognition within their…

She writes that a successful ethnography offers an explanation found in patterns of behavior, but often not a pattern you expect to initially find. Over the 2017 Spring Semester I observed the Student Government Association seven separate times. Out of those seven, six were general body…

the individual themselves, rather than taking a look at the unequal disparity of assets and the structure that keeps the poor in the cycle of poverty and the greater picture of why the poor are the way they are in the first place. Goode utilizes ethnography to demonstrate that the poor 's portrayal overlooks the structural constraints set on people and assembles, and rather wrongly concentrates…

My auto-ethnography encompassed a three-day span from last Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. During this time, I visited Boston to participate in the celebration of a rabbi’s installation as the first woman to lead New England’s largest Reform Jewish Synagogue (Temple Israel of Boston). As points-of-reference: this particular rabbi was also the person who oversaw my conversation to Judaism and was particular influential during some of my tumultuous life events. Additionally, I have…

Ethnography: Observing the Upper Quad The location chosen was strategic, to see how people reacted, and what kind of people would come around this particular spot. The location was the upper quad while sitting down at the concrete benches to have a full view of the upper quad at Mars Hill University. This location gave full viewing opportunities to not one, but six buildings on the upper quad: Spilman, Marshbanks, McConnel, Business Building, Rural Heritage Museum, and the Founders Hall, which…

I chose Belk Library of Appalachian State University for my ethnography project. The reason that I pick library for this project was that I knew everyday men, women, children, elder, and people of different nation came to this place for studying, relaxing, or for some other reasons. Therefore, I thought by choosing library, I would have an opportunity to observe the behaviors of people of different genders, ages, and nation of this culture. It was a great experience working as a cultural…

meal times. Even if this routine is just sitting down on the couch with a frozen meal, it still counts as a some-what ritual. Meal time can be formal to very informal, ranging from casually eating a pizza with friends to a complete tea party. An ethnography will be conducted to compare how separate meal times are conducted in an average individual's life. The results will go in depth about meals for modern Americans, and the practices and routines involved with this activity. For the first…

Immigration has always been seen as a problem in the United States. In this ethnography I will be outlining how myths and stereotypes shape political policies shape immigration. My research is going to capture the real lives of immigrants and how assumptions affect their everyday lives when it comes to living in the United States. Immigrants are oppressed and labeled as criminals in society and political perspectives. They are under a dark shadow of negative assumptions and criminalized for…

Comfortably Unaware: Food Ethnography Eating is one of the foundations of our hierarchy of needs along with water, air, warmth, and rest. In a society that is busy, stressed, and in a hurry all the time, food can become a big health problem. Choosing the foods we eat is a powerful decision that many are unaware of being taking. Eating well does not only mean eating enough food for survival, but it also means to consume foods that are nourishing, diverse, and ethically produced. A healthy…