Nature of Culture, Part 4
Question 1: Discuss real versus ideal culture.
Answer 1: Ideal culture refers to what people profess is the proper behavior and what they say they actually do. Cultural attitudes are put forth collectively and publicly, but individuals also think and interpret these cultural values and ideas. Real culture is the way in which people actually behave as monitored by an anthropologist. Real and ideal culture do not necessarily equate to one another. In addition, individuals often break certain rules of convention. These breaks with ideal culture can range from simple violations like driving too fast to much more serious ones like murder.
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Question 2: Briefly summarize typical ethnographic field techniques.
Answer 2: Ethnographers typically employ one or more of the following field techniques: (1) Direct observation of behavior including participating in community life during the study, possibly keeping a diary and field notes (2) Conversation with and interviewing of the people; may use a formalized interview schedule (3) Use of the genealogical method which uses diagrams and symbols to chronicle kinship relationships (4) Working with local consultants or experts (5) Gathering of life histories of certain individuals through thorough interviewing (6) Discovery of local beliefs and perceptions (discussed further elsewhere) (7) Longitudinal or long-term research involving recurring visits (8) Team research involving many ethnographers (9) Research designed to address a particular problem
Question 3: Discuss the difference between emic and etic approaches and world views.
Answer 3: Emic and etic approaches are different ways of looking at the beliefs and perceptions of a culture and categorizing them. Ethnographers who utilize an emic approach try to understand the native’s point of view by relying on local cultural informants to enlighten them about what is important in the culture. The etic method is a more external approach. Here, the scientifically-trained ethnographer uses observation to categorize behavior. Anthropologists using an etic approach must be as objective as possible. Some combine both approaches in field work. World views can also be emic or etic, meaning they categorize things from the perspective of the involved culture or from a scientific viewpoint respectively.
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