Ethnocentric Illusion: An Anthropological Introduction

Rendering all preconceptions and illusions of grandeur, civility, and normalcy obsolete, Horace Miner's satirical commentary Body Ritual Among the Nacirema provides anthropological and psychological insight toward our own ethnocentrism. In another relevant and introductory article, Queer Customs, Clyde Kluckhohn's serious tone, and cerebral perspective on the relationship between the individual and culture, guides the reader toward a more developed and mature understanding of one's own surroundings; acting as a reminder of the necessary acceptance a propos diverse beliefs and modes of life. Anthropology is a discipline with the unique capacity to further our understanding of the world and our place in it, giving us the opportunity to observe the inherent similarities and disparate beliefs of man.

In a nutshell, Horace Miner succeeds in revealing the following in support of cultural relativism: our convoluted notions of evolutionary advancement regarding the growth of modern man, or the American, from primitive rituals, pagan rites or medieval dogmatic behaviors, has simply led to contemporary complacent ignorance and confusion. Americans, or members of the Nacirema culture, subject themselves to daily rituals and rigorous displays of absurd and bizarre behaviors. These religiously performed acts have as many 'magical' powers and 'primitive' implications as shamanic dances and divinatory spells. Modern 'magic' lies not in the hands of gods or mythical bird-men, nor entities in the heavens, nor conjured ancestral spirits, but in the hands of myth-like men of Now, who save lives in temples known as hospitals, wearing white coats of purity; in potent elixirs which extend life and reduce pain - pills; in shiny, small objects guided by the careful hands of a tooth technician who praises well-flossed, bright-white incisors, canines, and molars. Miner succeeds in introducing basic concepts such as ritual behavior, ceremonial rites, and superstitious beliefs through the portrayal of Americans, as viewed through the eyes of a self-mimicking anthropologist; simultaneously revealing the difficulty of explaining and understanding another culture through ethnocentrically blinded eyes.

Clyde Khuckhohn initiates the student of anthropology into its study of abstractions: psychological, biological, historical, and evolutionary. His theory of culture as a biological entity capable of producing biological phenomena through learned and acquired practice is supported by various examples of customs and beliefs in different cultures. A curious case presented: the proposal that Navaho Indians did not have the same sensory organs as Americans solely on the basis of linguistic differences; a theory which failed because the difference in biological factors was not physical, but projected mentally through conflicting views on the world, and how it is symbolically represented. One general proof for the connection between biological traits and cultural practices may be seen through different views on the role of sex, or puberty, or husbandry, etc...in relation to the fact that each group holds such archetypal concepts as being important symbolic phases or acts of life. He holds the opinion that culture is the determinant of what and how an individual acts as part of the community, the effect of enculturation; and that through an understanding of cultural differences, similarities may be found, and respect garnished.

A fish is just Fish, until named Blacktip, or Carcharhinus limbatus; recognized by its unique black markings located on the tips of its fins; situated in the environment of the Mediterranean and found abundantly in the Gulf of Mexico. The same can be said for ambiguous man named Man, until named X, located in XA, surrounded by XB, with beliefs in XX, and so on. Though, unlike the Blacktip Shark, Man has the complexities of psychic phenomena alongside animal drive for life-sustenance. Because Man has said abstract mind, as well as a concrete body, it is necessary to study both facets in conjunction with their external and internal influences. Due to the duel nature of Man, the variety of factors which one may delve into studious labor over are practically infinite - thus the need for a specialized and formalized hierarchy of theoretical guidelines is required, and exists to some extent.

By focusing on a substratum of anthropology, and viewing culture unbiased, one may develop an interpretation that is scientifically sound. One may, for example, study the structure and superstructure of a group of people, while using both emic and etic interpretive techniques to create a sound account of that group. Kluckhohn and Miner ease the neophyte anthropological student, such as me, into its diverse world of study. They remind one to recognize the significance of cultural similarities and differences, and to appreciate them outside of one's ethnocentrism; to relax personal opinion and give weight to logical, unbiased appreciation.

Works Cited:

Kluckhohn, Clyde. Queer Customs. Classical Readings in Cultural

Anthropology. Ed. Ferraro, Gary. California: Wadsworth, 2004. 6-12.

Miner, Horace. Body Ritual Among the Nacirema. Classical Readings in Cultural

Anthropology. Ed. Ferraro, Gary. California: Wadsworth, 2004. 1-5.