As with the survey of any anthropological civilization. with descriptive anthropology there are no set methods for documenting that civilization or human societies. but much can be said about the methods of trying to understand a civilization by look intoing how. precisely. that civilization is alone. This tact can take the signifier of looking into a society’s lodging conditions. how they raise their kids. how they are educated. what types of faiths they may follow. and even how they might bury their dead.
In this. ethnographic surveies have virtually taken the signifier of historical instance studies—placing a civilization down on paper as if the author were at that place and closely understood the civilization. With that said. a expression will now be taken into a few of the major descriptive anthropologies and the methods of the anthropologists that conduct the research within them. It has been said that a grade in anthropology would non be complete without an apprehension of ethnographic research and the art of specifying a civilization down to its smallest and most cardinal facets.
From that ideal. the survey of descriptive anthropology branched into an apprehension of cultural mores ( more than analyzing how and why people bury their dead ) . and a expression was taken into how a society might pass on ( both verbally and non-verbally ) . For illustration. if an ethnographer were to analyze high school pupils of the 21st century. they might detect that the cell phone forms the line of life of communicating among the immature in society. and from it. an wholly new linguistic communication of the “instant message” was formed—a linguistic communication that most modern twenty-four hours “elders” do non grok or understand.
In this. an ethnographer might observe the gulf between the immature and the old in America today. And that. in its most basic signifier. is the footing for ethnographic research and merely one method for using descriptive anthropology to analyze a civilization. Now. a expression will now be taken into a few of the anthropologists that were indispensable for the major descriptive anthropologies along with a comparing of their research methods. successes. and failures. To get down with. Annette B.
Weiner wrote “The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea” as an ethnographic survey of the relationships between adult male and adult female and their differing positions ( and wooing rites ) including a slightly feminist attack on the value of a adult female and her work within their society. In 1990. Weiner’s ethnographic work was made into a docudrama which focused “on [ unexpected ] Trobriand societal patterns – female exchange. mourning patterns. cricket. thaumaturgy. competition between male heads. matrimony. Christian religion on the island – to supply a image of modern Trobriand society” ( Alexy. 2002. par.
1 ) . When Weiner began her research of the Trobriand civilization. she “had planned to research touristry and local crafts” ( par. 2 ) . while alternatively she found herself drawn into “explicit and overpowering female exchange… a ritual bereavement ceremonial directed by women” ( par. 2 ) . In Weiner’s surveies. her research besides reveals “other dimensions of Trobriand society beyond these ritual exchanges” ( par. 4 ) . In this. Weiner’s descriptive anthropology goes beyond the traditional manner of one facet of the civilization and alternatively encompasses a huge sum of the social mores of the Trobriand.
Her weaknesss. if there are any. can be defined by the strictly feminine attack to her surveies. as even the docudrama is filmed from the female position. which. finally. excludes a great trade of the male position and civilization from her descriptive anthropology. Sharon Graham Davies wrote “Challenging Gender Norms: Five Genders among the Bugis in Indonesia” as a instance survey in cultural anthropology to show the larger value of multiple genders within the society of Sulawesi. on the Indonesian Island versus the two genders that most societies recognize.
Basically. there is the traditional male and female. and so the Bugis besides encompass and acknowledge the androgynous Shaman. and the male and female transgendered ( including homosexual and tribade ) within their society. For their portion. the Bugis can be seen as a broad New York City runing pot of genders. without judgement. and without shame for their chosen waies in life. Davies. in her ethnology. represents a new theory on the ideal of gender and the societal mores founded within each. edifying the topic of disputing traditional gender mores.
Further. Davies refers to their gender picks as merely that. “gender negotiations” ( Davies. 2001. par. 3 ) in which both male and female “to conform to [ the ] ideals” ( par. 3 ) . of most modern societies. More. Davies explained of her work that she refers to “hir and s/he to dispute readers to [ imagine ] a subjectiveness beyond the dichotomous her/his. she/he. The usage of hir farther signifies the possibility of a 3rd gender non contingent on traversing from one normative gender to the other.
Furthermore. neither the Indonesian nor Bugis languages discriminate between gender” ( Davies. 2001. endnotes ) . In this attempt. Davies is trying to specify. flatly. the gender difference and non-discrimination that the Indonesian people show. As a gender/sexuality ethnologist. Davies’ research methods seem to consist the survey of the hierarchy within the society and the impact and consequence of a chosen gender.
Her cardinal stance included the major functions and responsibilities of adult females. particularly. and she defines how “the hierarchal order of a woman’s responsibilities shows that merely after a adult female has married and produced kids is it her responsibility to be a member of society. Indeed adult females may non be considered grownups until they have married heterosexually” ( Davies. 2001. par. 13 ) . In this. possibly. the weaknesss of Davies. like Annette Weiner. can be blamed upon her feminist attack to her ethnology of the Bugis and their gender relationships.
While her research does embrace the responsibilities and functions of work forces as good. her chief focal point is upon the objectification of adult females and the shocking hierarchical deductions ( so there is some judgement. even in within the Bugis ) of their chosen gender individualities. Colin M. Turnbull wrote “The Mbuti Pygmies: Change and Adaptation” as a instance survey in cultural anthropology of the Mbuti pigmy hunter/gatherers of Zaire. His ethnology focuses on the societal organisation and environmental undertakings and aims of the pigmies in correlativity to their relationship with their non-hunter/gatherer neighboring small towns.
Turnbull’s work is strictly a historical lineation of the location and societal construction of the Mbuti pigmies in which he notes their colony location. linguistic communications. runing party constructions. and runing party occupations. like archer. spearman. etc ( Martin. n. d. . par. 2 ) . Turnbull discovered that “only political individuality they have is in resistance to the small town cultivators” ( Martin. n. d. . par. 4 ) and the “relationship between the Mbuti and the villagers is maintained on several different degrees. focus oning around trade” ( par.
9 ) . In this. Turnbull’s descriptive anthropology is extremely focussed upon one indispensable facet of the Mbuti folk. He does non travel any deeper into their civilization than trade and hunting. and small is mentioned about societal relationships of adult females within the folk itself. Indeed. like other ethnographers. Turnbull’s focused attack could be seen as a weakness in that there is evidently much more to the Mbuti folk than their hunting techniques and trade relationships.
However. while there must be much more needed to understand the Mbuti civilization and people. Turnbull’s anthropological research shows. as a instance survey. and of import and driving facet of the civilization. Evon Z. Vogt wrote “The Zinacantecos of Mexico: A Modern Maya Way of Life” as an ethnographic instance survey on the life. rites. economic sciences. and reproduction in Zinacantan. The chief focal point of his descriptive anthropology. nevertheless. is the Zinacanteco belief system and how their beliefs serve as the doctrine for their lives and rites.
Of the ethnographers. Vogt is one of the few to pass clip in his docudrama to associate his assorted field work methods and accounts. More. Vogt goes deeper into the Zinacantan society. noting on the nutrient that they eat and the vesture that they wear explicating that “virtually all adult females know how to weave the full scope of vesture in the normal Zinacanteco costume ; but a few points. like ceremonial vesture and the intricate blouses presented to godchildren. are frequently produced by specializers within the community” ( Cancian. 1972. 14 ) .
Indeed. Vogt provides an improbably elaborate history of the Zinacanteco manner of life. appraising it as closely and every bit in-depth as if he had lived within the civilization since birth. In this. Vogt’s history seems personal and literally every facet of the society and civilization seems accounted for. While he spends a great trade of his ethnographic study on the belief system. it can be seen from his surveies that the spiritual ways and methods are the driving force for the Zinacanteco and that the most of import facet has been exhaustively covered. Finally. William F. Wormsley wrote “The White Man will Eat You!
An Anthropologist among the Imbonggu of New Guinea” as a instance survey into the cultural and societal construction of the Imbonggu’s. which includes such facets as leading. matrimonial duties. and even thaumaturgies and faith. Wormsley is the most alone of the major ethnographers because he spends clip concentrating on the truth of documenting a folk. and the reactions. emotions. and ideals of the anthropologist himself while trying such an ethnographic survey. Mostly. Wormsley’s work stands out among the remainder because of his personal submergence in the civilization and society.
While the other ethnographers. particularly Annette Weiner. documented their surveies with a point of position. their efforts were to demo the civilizations and societies without much interaction. to demo the society in its cultural bubble without outside influences and distractions. While Wormsley doesn’t impede the civilization he is analyzing by infixing himself into the historical commentary. his submergence impacts a reader into understanding the tests and trials from the ethnographer’s point of position. and that makes for a alone and interesting read. Overall. William F. Wormsley. Evon Z.
Vogt. Colin M. Turnbull. Sharon Graham Davies. and Annette B. Weiner are among the foremost ethnographers in the survey of cultural and sexual anthropology. While their research has proven to be limited in the nature of what they encompass. all highlight the Fieldss within their chosen civilizations that they intended. And of them. Wormsley stands out as the ethnographer most immersed in his ethnographic survey as he detailed the life and agencies of his ain docudrama.
Mentions.
Alexy. A. ( 2002 ) . Sing notes for “The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea. ” Accessed July 17. 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //classes. Yale University. edu/03-04/anth500b/viewing_notes/VN_Trobriand-Islanders. htm & gt ; Cancian. F. ( 1972 ) . Change and Uncertainty in a Peasant Economy: The Maya Corn Farmers of Zinacantan. Stanford. Calcium: Stanford UP. Davies. S. G. ( 2001 ) .
Negociating gender: Calalai’ in Bugis society. Intersections: Gender. History. and Culture in Asian Context 6. Accessed 17 July 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //intersections. Anu. edu. au/issue6/graham. hypertext markup language & gt ; Davies. S. G. ( 2006 ) . Challenging gender norms: five genders among Bugis in Indonesia. Florence. KY: Wadsworth Publishing. Martin. M. M. ( n. d. ) .
Society: Pygmies. Mbuti. Accessed July 14 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //lucy. ukc. Ac. uk/EthnoAtlas/Hmar/Cult_dir/Culture. 7865 & gt ; Turnbull. C. M. ( 1983 ) . The Mbuti Pygmies: Change and Adaptation. Orlando. Florida: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Vogt. E. Z. ( 1990 ) . The Zinacantecos of Mexico: A Modern Maya Way of Life. Orlando. Florida: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Weiner. A. B. ( 1988 ) . The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea. New York: New York UP. Wormsley. W. E. ( 2002 ) . The White Man will Eat You! An Anthropologist among the Imbonggu of New Guinea. Florence. KY: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
