...Reflection on Nacirema "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" is a paper by Horace Miner that describes the Nacirema tribe’s culture in a unique way. A substantial part of the tribe’s lives are spent on unusual rituals and customs to improve conditions of the body that are filled with magical components. As I first read this article I was taken back. The article intrigued me. I had to think really long and hard about what was being done in their culture. While I was thinking about how I perceived this article I started thinking that everything may not be as far out there as I originally thought. So I read the article again with more of an open mind. Even though this article may seem to be odd there are points that I myself see very similar to the way our society does things. Starting with a brief history of how the nation became the way it is, with Notgnishaw cutting down the cherry tree. Even today young children know this idea of cutting down the tree may seem familiar, and it should because George Washington cut the tree down. Miner talks about the need for our bodies to be "perfect" in order to attract friends and mates. He says that the Nacirema "perform a mouth-rite" every day because the mouth is the source of all things good and evil (kissing, talking, eating, decay) this is true everything that we do involves our mouths. He then goes on to talk about our need to stay young. I believe that our society worries too much about how old they look. Our society is always...
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...the World Elements of Culture Culture and the Dominant Ideology Case Study: Culture at Wal-Mart Cultural Variation Social Policy and Culture: Bilingualism Boxes Sociology in the Global Community: Life in the Global Village Sociology in the Global Community: Cultural Survival in Brazil Sociology on Campus: A Culture of Cheating? “Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which has evolved in a rich natural habitat. While much of the people's time is devoted to economic pursuits, a large part of the fruits of these labors and a considerable portion of the day are spent in ritual activity. The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health of which loom as a dominant concern in the ethos of the people. While such a concern is certainly not unusual, its ceremonial aspects and associated philosophy are unique. The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease. Incarcerated in such a body, man's only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of the powerful influences of ritual and ceremony. Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose. The more powerful individuals in the society have several shrines in their...
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...Ethnicity, Identity and Public Policy Critical Perspectives on Multiculturalism David Bromell Institute of Policy Studies Ethnicity, Identity and Public Policy Critical Perspectives on Multiculturalism David Bromell Institute of Policy Studies First printed in 2008 Institute of Policy Studies School of Government Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 Wellington © Institute of Policy Studies ISBN 158 IPS/Pub/978-1-877347-26-9 This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without the permission of the Institute of Policy Studies. Copy editor: Belinda Hill Cover design: Milne Printers Ltd Printed by Milne Printers Ltd Contents List of Tables iv List of Figures iv List of Boxes iv Foreword v Acknowledgments and Disclaimer ix Part One: Introduction and Context of Inquiry 1 Introduction 2 New Zealand Context 3 21 Part Two: Communitarian Responses to Liberalism Introduction to Part Two 61 3 Civic Republicanism: Michael Sandel 63 4 The Politics of Recognition: Charles Taylor 83 Part Three: Multiculturalism Introduction to Part Three 105 5 Multicultural Citizenship: Will Kymlicka 107 6 Common Citizenship in a Multicultural Society: Bhikhu Parekh 151 Part Four: Critical Responses to Multiculturalism ...
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