week 5

                     Ethnographic

I had a very different experience reading the two different reading. The reading I enjoyed surprisingly quite a lot was by Barbara B. Kawulich. And the reason I believe I enjoyed one reading, while the other one was nothing but a chore, was because, Kawulich’s readings I saw as benefitting me now and in the future. This might seem obvious, but for me I enjoy reading only if I feel if the information is beneficial for me in the future some how. Very seldom do I read a book just for pleasure.

          Participant Observation………  BY Barbara B Kawulich

             Her reading is not only beneficial for people trying study people and different cultures.  But also to anybody who wants to migrate to a different country, and anyone who has tried to intergrade to a completely different culture. The reason it is beneficial to anybody who wants to move to a different country, is because while discussing the do’s and don’ts’s of observing and trying to intergrade to the culture, so the people will not see the researcher as an outsider. Is golden information when anyone wants to move to a different culture, I only wish I read this when I moved to India, and than moved back to Sweden. It would have saved me hard ache. The best advise that might seem like commonsense, but yet underestimated  “the most important thing you can do to stop being a freak is to speak the language of the people you are studying – and speak it well”. This is so important, people in every country I have been too, are very judgmental about the way a person sounds. It seems anything that might differentiate one person from the other, often creates distance.  

         Although I do question the view of a person who stays in a culture for a year, and completely involves themselves with the culture. How broad and objective can their analyses be really??? 

On the other hand for the people who research a culture by getting in and out, how much do they really see? I feel like it would be the ice berg analogy, the researcher could only really see 5 % of what is going on, if not less. If I got some one a ticket to go to India for a week, and told them write up a analysis about the culture, they would not even be able to describe 5 % of what Indian culture really is.      

         But also if I was to go and experience a culture for a year, completely integrating, to the best of my ability. I would still come very short, as well, bee clouded by many personal relations and experiences. But of course a professional is better trained.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article( if that is what it is called. )

                  Mmmm well why did I not like the other reading. Well I don’t remember much about the reading, probably because while reading, I kept falling off to sleep, and wondering how on earth has this to do with anything?? . Which after reading the article by Barbara, I realize ethnography has a lot to do with me and very beneficial to know. Well it is hard for me to be specific about what I disliked with Kaln’s, because the idea of reading that again, just makes me want to cry. But I guess after I get done with all my other readings, I can come back to that reading, and be specific.