THE NACIREMA

• What are the main beliefs of the

Nacirema?
• How different is it to your own
culture?
• Would you like to live in this culture?

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Nacirema
• “Notgnihsaw”
• “Holy mouth man”
• “Shrine”
• “Latipso”
• “Charm box
• “The listener”
Magical Potions”
• “Abstain from
• “Medicine man”
eating”
• “Bowl and holy”
• “Herbalist”
water
• “Mouth rite”

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 We think often think
of culture as something
that other people have

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Kayan women (Thailand)

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Mursi Tribe in Ethiopia

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
But we need to examine
own culture before we
judge others…

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Cosmetic surgery
• Nose Reshaping
• Breast
enlargement
• Liposuction
• Reconstructive
surgery (scar and
tumour removal)
• Laser hair removal
• Cellulite
treatment.
These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
• About 100,000 cosmetic surgery
treatments are carried out each year
in the UK.
The most common is breast
enlargements - the number of
operations has risen by more than
200% since 2002

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
Who are under more pressures
to change their bodies. Men or
Women?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw
rK-foCTaQ&feature=related

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
From the 1980s, studies done in America, Australia
and the UK have shown that between 8 and 12%
of patients in most advanced healthcare systems
come to some harm in a hospital.
(BBC, 2010)

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Recent Mistakes in Hong
Kong’s Hospitals
• Removal of a healthy breast mistaken for a cancerous (患癌的)
breast.
• Removal of section of fallopian tube (輸卵管) mistaken for an
appendix (盲腸)
• Milk instead of blood pumped into a patient
• Patient given wrong type of blood
• Pumping air into an elderly patient’s blood stream (血管) instead of
her pillow.
• Mouth wash (漱口水) mistaken for cough medicine.
• Overdose of antibiotics (抗生素) given to patient with heart
disease
• Baby falls out of incubator window (恆溫箱) and suffered a brain
haemorrhage (內出血)

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 RALPH LINTON

• “THE LAST THING A FISH WOULD

EVER NOTICE WOULD BE THE
WATER”

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 Alvin Gouldner (1970)
• “The sociologist’s task today is not only to
see people as they see themselves.

• Nor to see themselves as others see them.

• It is also to see themselves as they see

other people. “

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.
 THOUGHT
EXPERIMENT
Normally, Westerners make documentaries about
“exotic” African cultures.

What if Africans were to make make a documentary

about life in Hong Kong or a European country?

e.g. “mysterious” Austria:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOf8Cy-5QVA

These slides are the property of J. M. Groves and no permission is given to reproduce them on any website.