On Ethnographic Sincerity

C. Ben Mitchell, a professor of Moral Philosopher at the Union University, in his article, “On Human Bioenhancements” (200), argues against the use of human enhancement which has emerge questioning about, the principles of justice, and cultural complicity. Mitchell supports his argument by describing how this method is an unethical behavior by the medical community and how this new technology should not be implement anywhere in the future. His purpose is to persuade his readers not to support this new method which will have a negative effect within our society, and instead of helping our future generation it will destroy our human nature. The author’s audience likely consists of professors, college professors, parents, with some understanding

In “Are ethnographies ‘just so” stories?” by E. Paul Durrenberger, in this article he makes an argument about the form of culture being an artifact, and even science is a form of culture. He first points out the development of how culture came to term of being an artifact. Durrenberger says, “If we want to learn about a culture, we study its artifacts, especially the ones that say something about social relations and the culture itself” (60). This is significant because we can’t just have someone make up a story if they never studied or seen with their own two eyes to prove of what is real or not. The second point that he made is that science is a form of culture. Many individuals would ask him if a scientific knowledge must be “culture-free”

In the poem “Spirit in Me” by Esther G. Belin,and the novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie both characters share similar life experiences such as effects from alcoholism that affect their lives negatively. Everyone in life has a goal they need to reach and to reach your goal you might have to go through emotional times and so did Junior from the book and the speaker from the poem.

Horace Miner, a American Anthropologist wrote an academic essay titled “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema.” In this article Miner described some of the bizarre rituals and practices of the “Nacirema” which the reader comes to find out that he is talking about North Americans. The way Miner goes into detail about how these people live makes them seem foreign. Thus making the norm for an American lifestyle seem odd because the certain type of lingo Miner uses to make this “tribe” more exotic then the actually are. His point in doing this is to show the reader how obnoxious anthropologist can be when they are explain a different culture. As a western civilization we are guilty of making other cultures seem strange and unrelatable by describing their culture in an exuberant way. However, Miner does an excellent job at executing the description of the “Nacirema” as foreign individuals with him being a American himself. This essay is told from an

Can you identify some areas of overlap between the subfields of anthropology? Why is it important to understand humankind from a holistic perspective?

The most surprising thing to me about reading Mary Douglas anthropology book, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, is that I was actually fascinated about everything she argues in the book, many things I had questioned about but did not know the answer or simple facts that make you realized how our society structure works. Which is why in these book review paper I will emphasize more in some chapters rather than the book itself in one big paragraph.

In anthropology or other social sciences , the common terms that are involved in research are referred to as subjectivity and objectivity. It must be mentioned that the basis of subjectivity and objectivity have been questioned by many. The concept of subjectivity can be referred to as the personal opinions and feelings of how someone’s judgment is shaped instead of outside influences, whereas objectivity is related to the concept of ‘truth’, meaning that there is a lack of bias, judgement or prejudice involved in the process. Therefore, the aim of this essay seeks to discuss the difference between subjectivity and objectivity, as an anthropologist.

This book can be related to the Anthropological Perspective because there are examples of holism, cross culturalism, and cultural relativism thought the book.

The beginning of conflict between Native Americans and anthropologists is hard to determine, though we know that it is tied to the early creation of American anthropology in the United States. According to Native American authors such as Vine Deloria, the conflict is also tied to the history of gruesome collections and expeditions of past grave-robbing. In these cases anthropologists claimed to be saving pieces of information and history, while the Indians claimed they were being treated like pieces of history that needed to be saved. The relationship between the two parties is one filled with distrust, as very few members on either side appear to understand and recognize the rights of the other.

Shane the Lone Ethnographer is an introduction guide to ethnography for beginners. This book is displayed in an innovative way of cartoons very similar to a comic style book. The main character Shane, demonstrates how ethnographers work through the process of completing an ethnography. The author used a cartoon like format to provide a new and interesting approach to understanding the art of ethnography. This book walks you through how Shane embarks on her very first research project and we also get to see the theories, methods, and skills used by ethnographic researchers.

Ara Norenzayan asserts that religion is not necessarily a basis for morality. Norenzayan is a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, giving him the credentials to discuss humans’ moral compass and its origins. However, his judgements on religion are not completely justified as he is not a religion expert. This said, Norenzayan argues that “foraging societies that give… clues… of ancestral human conditions” show they do not have religions with a basis in morality. He also gives an account of a psychological study by Henrich that uses 15 pastoral and horticultural societies that showed “greater prosocial behavior” most prominently when experiencing “economic exchange with strangers” and not just a religion. It should be noted

The biggest point of contention between Appiah and Hardt and Negri is that Appiah’s philosophy is one which primarily concerns itself with ethics and ethical influence on behaviors. Appiah largely makes arguments about what is considered right, or the different ways in which cultures should respond to certain practices. Hardt and Negri, on the other hand present an analysis which is, for the most part, amoral; it makes observations about habits and trends within shifting power in a political and economic analysis, though the analysis is suffused with disdain for the system as they currently see it. Appiah makes historical observations about cultural interaction, honor, and respect which he then extrapolates to the practices of a modern culture

In general, Sociology is a scientific study that involved in the human social behaviour which is shaped by the society, whereby it is a system of interrelationships which connects the individuals together to create a unique culture (Denny and Earle, 2009). Therefore, without culture and society, a closed connection between these notions could not be formed, due to the absence of structured social relationships (Sewell Jr, 2005).

“Doing ethnography is like trying to read (in the sense of "construct a reading of') a manuscript foreign, faded, full of ellipses, incoherencies, suspicious emendations, and tendentious commentaries, but written not in conventionalized graphs of sound but in transient examples of shaped behaviour.”

Then again, biomedical and general wellbeing specialists who use subjective methodologies Without having the profit of formal preparing in the sociologies may endeavor to unbendingly implement bioethics hones without considering whether they are proper for subjective examination. Between these two extremes lies an adjusted methodology established on settled standards for moral research that are fittingly deciphered for and connected to the subjective exploration setting. Settled upon guidelines for exploration morals help guarantee that as specialists we expressly consider the needs and concerns of the individuals we examine, that suitable oversight for the behavior of examination happens, and that a premise for trust is made in the middle of scientists and study