Culture s Complex Web Of Meaning - 1309 Words

Ethnography in our textbook is defined as method of participant observation designed to help a researcher experience a culture’s complex web of meaning. Ethnography is a concept that we have explored in class that is quintessential in developing this final essay, â€Å"Performing Identity†. For my interviewee I chose Gabriel Kenneh, a Liberian- born man, whom moved to America as a young teenager to escape a Civil War that was going on in his country at the time. Throughout the course of the interview I was intrigued by our cultural and ethnic differences as well as a few similarities that we shared. His strong cultural ties allowed for a very influential ethnographic experience. The ability to analyze the experiences of others whose lives and upbringing differ from your own and then living their life as they would has tremendous learning benefits. I was fortunate enough to spend a Thursday evening with Gabriel to conduct my interview, before we actually begun the interv iew Gabriel suggested we have a round of beers first just to loosen up from the long workweek. The interview itself was basically about his time in Liberia as a child, his thoughts and experiences when he first came to America and how he lived his life today. Throughout the initial first round of questions in my interview it was evident that Gabriel’s identity marker was his cultural and ethnic background. I found the ethnic and cultural differences and similarities between us to be quite intriguing especiallyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Invisible Borders 1066 Words   |  5 Pageseveryday amongst the people. The United States of America is divided amongst different cultures. Not necessarily by the cultures themselves, but by how people are perceiving these cultures and how these cultures go against other. People perceive other cultures by seeing these cultures through filters. Filters form by one’s own experiences and viewpoints. One’s beliefs, who they are as an individual, and by what cultures they are trying to represent also form these filters. Someone could say that are divisionsRead MoreAdvertising in the 20th Century1193 Words   |  5 Pagesadvertising also helped build brand loyalty for the company. Brand loyalty helps sell other existing and new products to these same customers. | | At the peak of the 1920’s, new industries were emerging in the consumer culture which in turn sky-rocketed the advertisement business. Technological advances in consumer culture included the â€Å"emergence of the radio, automobiles, chemicals, movies, drugs, and electrical refrigeration.† Advertising became pivotal at this point because so many new productsRead MoreIt Is Through Complex And Dynamic Social Processes And983 Words   |  4 Pagesthrough complex and dynamic social processes and relations such as power differential and cultural understandings that illicit drug markets are produced and reproduced (Dwyer, R. 2011). Robyn Dwyer explores the social life of smokers and the complex social processes which govern the functioning of the drug marketplace through an ethnographic examination of the everyday lives of Vietnamese heroin user/dealers in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. Dwyer focuses generally on the social meaning broughtRead MoreThe Differences Betwee n Us And Lower Animals896 Words   |  4 Pagesthe high development of mental powers. The use of language is considered one of the three pillars of human development alongside affects, and cognition. The ability to link feelings into words is called translation. At around age 2 , the children s ability to use language significantly improves. Their ability to string up words to make sentences and their vocabulary knowledge is improved. THeir ability to describe their environment and come up with representative language shows up the same timeRead MoreA Few Definitions Are Necessary To Understand While Learning1668 Words   |  7 PagesA few definitions are necessary to understand while learning the complex structure of emotional intelligence and empathy. Emotional Intelligence as defined by Peter Salovey and John Mayer â€Å"is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth† (Goleman). There are five components of emotional intelligence, as stated by Goleman:Read MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s A Brave New World1708 Words   |  7 PagesWorld tries very h ard to tamper down emotions, going a s far as integrating drugs into the global culture as a way to eliminate these emotions. Every time they feel an emotion, the people of the society pop something called Soma. The use of this drug along with other methods, has conditioned the population not to feel emotions (brown). the actual mottto of the society is â€Å"A gramme is better than a damn† (Huxley 54) which Because of this the society s population degraded to a state of zombie-like instantRead MoreThe Extent to Which World War I Influenced the Dada Artistic Movement1645 Words   |  7 Pagesphrases that no meaning could be derived from them, Tzara being a prominent poet of the time. The nonsensical phrases symbolized the nonsense Western culture has brought itself to through the war (Caldwell). These centers for exchanging ideas can be known as, â€Å"neutral capitols,† where artists would gather and show their contempt towards the governments of the war claiming to be protecting culture, but in the end, they were inevitably destroying it (Hamilton). As to World War 1’s influence, the trenchRead MoreBinary Oppositions And Its Impact On The Context Of Culture871 Words   |  4 Pagesnot until this movement that the subject was fully explored. Symbolic anthropologists examined binary oppositions in the context of culture, investigating how rules were formed as a result of these contradictions. The four main theorists of symbolic anthropology all have different opinions on what binary oppositions mean to culture; however, all of them agree that culture must be organised in some way and that binary oppositions play a role this organisation. Claude Levi-Strauss’s theory of binaryRead MoreMyths and Religion Essay899 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferently. These scholars have approach myths in a way their meaning was traditionally regarded. In many traditions these myth are true stories and never refer to as false stories. ( http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/a/whatismyth.htm ) In many of tradition, a myth carries within it a sense of sacred tradition and primordial relation. These myths are also serving as model for chosen tradition. Myths are extremely complex cultural reality that can be approached and interpreted fromRead MoreStarbucks Vs. Tim Hortons Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pagespromotional culture. This paper begins with a brief historical outline of consumer culture and it’s ties to neoliberalism, and then moves to an in depth exploration of the way in which companies work to create and maintain a positive brand image among consumers. Through a focus on branding, versus product-specific advertising, companies work to create attachments and emotional bonds, effectively creating a loyal and invested customer base. Corporations draw upon established systems of meaning, selling