Friday, November 27, 2015

Here's a Little Anthropology for ya

Here it began. I needed to write a paper for my Anthropology class. Not only that, but I needed to sound smart. One thing I discovered as I began to type was big words just kept popping into my head when I needed them. I knew that was from the readings we have to do everyday for class. The key to sounding smart is to read smart words and then be able to regurgitate them.

Culture is the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of a particular demographic as is interpreted in mortality. Anthropology can be most accurately described as an attempted mediator between various cultures. An ethnographer is a student of cultures, portraying their learnings through scientific definitions. Although these findings are not a direct translation between cultures and display complexities far beyond comprehension, the initiative it takes to overcome barriers between demographics is key to unlocking the viability of a lifestyle. There are many dimensions intimately thriving on any aspect of a culture. In order for an “outsider” to attain understanding, they must be willing to entertain the possible validity of a way of life. Each of us is born into a particular culture, “…a set of cultural glasses that each of us wears, lenses that provide us with a means for perceiving the world around us, for interpreting the meaning of our social lives, and framing action in them” (Monaghan, Just, 2000, p. 38). Our interpretation of the world is deeply characterized from when, where, and how we are raised. In the culture of Mormonism, children and families strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Men are commanded to serve away from their homeland and teach about Jesus Christ for a period of two years. Women can optionally serve, in like manner, for a period of 18 months. Without the prior knowledge of the physical, mental, emotional, and social implications of a young women and man in context, this cultural phenomenon would not be universally understood on any spectrum of differing societies.

No comments:

Post a Comment