Anthro 130

10/21/18
Discussion Points #3
Rabinow (2012 [1977]): “Fieldwork and Friendship in Morocco”
In his description of his fieldwork in Morocco, Paul Rabinow highlights his friendship
with a native man named Driss ben Mohammed, who as a friend, gave him more information
than he likely would have as an informant. Ben Mohammed described many Muslim practices
and ideologies and their misinterpretations in the present day. He also showed the symbolism of
white and black and how it is used for a type of racism very different from the one present in
America or Europe. Where Rabinow and Ben Mohammed greatly differed in their ideologies
was when Ben Mohammed stated that Allah’s will states that all Muslims, even the criminals and
sinners, are superior to all non-Muslims. Rabinow concludes by stating that culture is
interpretation and what we consider to be cultural facts are really just interpretations made by
anthropologists.
Berreman (2012 [1963]): “Behind Many Masks: Ethnography and Impression
Management”
Gerald D. Berreman describes his experience conducting ethnographic research in
Sirkanda, a village in the North Indian Himalayas. He described the difficulties of building a
rapport with the villagers, as they had an extreme distrust and fear for any strangers. This was a
result of most outsiders being either policemen or tax collectors, both of which are in the lowest
castes in their society. For a long time, villagers suspected he had an ulterior motive, as most
outsiders do. When he and his assistant were finally accepted, they were accepted more by the
lower caste than the higher caste, and they in turn gave them more information. Berreman
highlights the importance of gaining access to the back region of the society, and that without it,
an ethnographer’s research would be incomplete. Once back region information is collected, it is
possible to understand previously inconceivable aspects of the society.
Scheper-Hughes (2000): “Ire in Ireland”
Nancy Scheper-Hughes arrived in Ballybran, Ireland in the spring of 1974 with a list of
questions, starting with the question of why there was such a high rate of schizophrenia and
overall mental illness. She published the book Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics: Mental
Illness in Rural Ireland (1979), in which she argued that in rural Ireland, there were certain
appropriate ways of being mad. She also pointed out how in rural Irish families, there was a
“sacrificial child,” which from a young age was taught that he was not going to amount to
anything but a farmer. The parents would ridicule this child as they grew up and eventually
remained at the farm instead of following any potential aspirations. She also spoke about the
many criticisms she got for her book, not only from other anthropologists, but also from the
villagers when she returned. Her book may have been a controversy in academics, but she also
hurt the villagers by highlighting all the bad things about their society. She acknowledges her
mistake as she recalls many of the better aspects of the society, such as the fact that it is a largely
classless, genderless, egalitarian society.
Clifford (1986): “Introduction: Partial Truths”
James Clifford states in blah blah title that anthropology begins with ethnography, not
participant observation. He highlights the six ways that ethnographic writing is determined:
contextually, rhetorically, institutionally, generically, politically, and historically. He admits that
ethnographies contain partial truths. In addition, he states that the image of an ethnographer has
shifted greatly from one of a sympathetic observer to a much more negative portrait. He also
states that many different rules for ethnography are emerging all over the world, as some cultures
are even setting requirements for ethnographers. Finally, he states that ethnography looks at
other cultures in relation to one’s own culture.