Horace Miner – Nacirema Tribe Location

Body Rituals among the Nacirema is an expression scripted by Horace mineworker about a group of people, the Nacirema, and their everyday functions or rituals. miner relates the close, practices, values, and beliefs of a stick outmingly foreign and strange tribe. He vividly and descriptively describes behaviors and activities that are interpreted as unusual and strange. The tribe mineworker depicts translatems primal and uncivilized, and yet somewhat familiar. They are a unification Ameri merchantman group living in the territory between the Canadian Creel the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles (Miner).This world is the United States of America and upon recognizing the location, the reader starts to become cognizant of the presence of an later(a) message. Miners depiction draws us in but shortly, we move in he is referring to Ameri croup society read backwards, Nacirema spells Ameri hind end. Instead of describing a far-away and exotic t ribe, as the reader first expects, the article describes very convening aspects of American life, such as dental hygiene and medicine. The use of language equal mouth-rite, holy-mouth-men, and medicine men frames these aspects in a very abnormal way.Miner does an stupendous job of disguising the American culture as Nacirema. Once unveiling this disguise, many an different(prenominal) references can easily be seen and the article is interpreted in a whole new way for example, the cleansing shrine as the washroom, wizardly potions as medicine, and latipso as hospital. This article is written as an observation on American society but could be widely distributedized as conjugation American practices. The article demonstrates that attitudes about the body take away a far-flung influence on many social institutions.Many of the rituals that we arrive in northwesterly America involve manipulating our image and this value contradicts the enlightened and rational creatures we somet imes imagine ourselves to be. Miner effectively convinces the reader of the somewhat ridiculous nature of (North) Americas obsession with health and visual appeal. This is accomplished by provoking readers to form an outside opinion of themselves before realizing they are their induce subject. His analysis portrays himself and the reader as superior, civilized beings studying this tribe, which creates a exceed and differentiation addressing to comparison.By describing American culture from the perspective of an external observer, we can realize how a different perspective or sales booth can perceive our rituals as quite strange. As such, Miners article can be seen as speaking to how other cultures could view our own, and shows how ethnocentrism can affect how we see and interpret culture. Miner uses his style of writing to grow his apparent point that Americans are ethnocentric. Furthermore, the tone of the article displays how this ethnocentrism can lead to judgment of other, unknown cultures.A resonating point for me throughout this article is Miners success in translating Peter Bergers concept of the sociological perspective, making the reader see the strange in the familiar. By idea of these familiar rituals as strange, a new perspective is formed and our regular, normal world can be seen in a fresh, unique way. Importantly, the sociological imagination begins to engage and develop as we recapture the ability to be astonished by what we normally take for granted.This broadening of perspective and how we intuitive feeling at ourselves can lead us to think beyond our standpoint and better understand someone of a different background. Upon first reading, the rituals/institutions depict have a familiarity, but in everyday life we have become socialized so as we do not see the odd and sometimes illogical actions we perform. As Miner begins, the anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different people assoil in similar situations that he is not apt to be move by even the most exotic customs. I believe Horace Miner wrote this piece to touch on all of these points to make us see the familiar as strange, to develop the sociological imagination, and to bring awareness to the ethnocentrism of our culture/society. The targeted audience may be fellow anthropologists, sociologists, scholars/ students, or even the general public. Miner contests all North Americans to look at themselves in a new light, to look critically upon our own society. He is effective in conveying his messages through his unique approach to the idea, and ability to re-arrange our thought process.He seems to challenge the way cultures, and American culture in particular, may have been antecedently represented or misrepresented. Furthermore, the article breaks the hindrance of viewing American culture as normal and that which others may be measured against he breaks the barrier of ethnocentrism. Another reason to comment on these p oints may have been to establish to stimulate better, less biased research and inspire colleagues, students etc. to get wind the existence of perspective and potential for ethnocentrism in all that they do.I find the article relevant, personally, as a student studying sociology and business, and as a North American. Our society is continually becoming more culturally diverse, and international fundamental interaction (whether in business, academics or elsewhere) is becoming commonplace. Therefore, it is increasingly important to learn to stones throw outside of our accustomed perspective and to be aware of others we interact with, as well as of our own biases, viewpoints, and barriers.The clever way Miner provokes tone at the familiar as strange lead me think of the many ways we view the familiar, having become accustomed to our social norms and values. I have begun to see these in a new way, and will further backing in mind the sociological perspective and presence of potentia l ethnocentric views when evaluating situations. We naturally look at other cultures or societies through the lens of the eye of our own but if we are able to understand our own culture our social context the water in which we swim, we can develop our relationships and interactions with those from other waters.