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Emic and Etic Viewpoints

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Explain both the emic and etic viewpoints.

Thoughts and actions are viewed in an emic viewpoint by those on the inside of society,

attitudes and behaviors are viewed in an etic viewpoint by those on the outside (Admin, 2015).

An outsider's perspective on a culture is referred to as a "etic view." Some anthropologists use an

etic approach to avoid coming into contact with the culture they're trying to understand. Data I is

collected and question are asked by an individual that doesn’t belong to the culture of study. An

"emic" view of culture is often referred to as a "insider's" perspective because it emphasizes the

intrinsic cultural differences that matter to members of a specific society (Admin, 2015). While

conduct in an emic viewpoint an individual may be from the culture of study or not. It is more

common for an emic perspective to include more detailed and culturally relevant data than for an

etic perspective to do so. It is possible to go deeper into the practices and beliefs of a culture by

immersing oneself in it rather than merely studying it from outside. To describe a culture's rituals

from a person's perspective, an emic perspective is used.

Which viewpoint was used to write the Nacirema article?

Etic view point

How do you know?

From an etic perspective, Miner describes Nacirema as a culture with an advanced market

economy but a strong focus on ritual activity (Facing the future.org, 2002). The Nacirema

despise the body and use ritual and ceremony to keep it clean. This implies that "Body Ritual

Among the Nacirema" lacks true cultural insight into Nacirema.

Using an example from the article, explain how a one-sided analysis such as this one is not

useful to the field of anthropology.

By studying other people's cultures, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of

their own and see how they differ from those of other peoples. A one-sided anthropological

analysis cannot provide a better understanding of human origins or human culture. In this

article's etic perspective, Nacirema perceptions of their culture and experiences, and their beliefs

about why they do what they do, are not clearly understood. Anthropologists face challenges

when attempting to study human behavior from an etic perspective because behavior shifts when

it is observed. Anthropologists may encounter difficulties due to the fact that people's behavior

changes when they're being watched.. Cultural understanding may be hindered by private rituals

that an outsider cannot access. Even though he has drawn the Nacirema, some people may find

Miner's depiction confusing. Some people may be baffled as to why the Nacirema act the way

they do and believe their culture is superior to others. It is also possible to get biased data by

using an ethnocentric perspective. Anthropologists can easily capture people's beliefs and

behaviors in terms that are meaningful to them, such as how people perceive and categorize their

own culture and experiences, why people believe they do what they believe, and the ways they

imagine and explain things. Participants, particularly those from the culture under study, may

have preconceptions about how their own practices are viewed by others. This can result in bias

and omission of important information in ethnographic research. Because of this, anthropology

must include both "etic" and "emic" perspectives. This perspective, known as the "etic view," is

one that is often employed by anthropologists to explain cultures from the perspective of the

"emic view," which provides an aerial view. Anthropologists must use emic perspectives i to

gain a complete understanding of a culture and avoid interpreting others through their own
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cultural beliefs. Outsider perspectives, or egocentric perspectives, explain behavior in terms that

make sense to the person who is looking at it from the outside. Anthropologists often get their

ideas for their etic descriptions from discussions with other anthropologists who work in the

field. Many scientific explanations are based on a variety of sources, including historical,

political, and economic data and analysis (Emic and Etic Perspectives). Using the etic approach,

it is assumed that the members of a culture will not see their actions as significant or strange.

They have a hard time taking a step back and evaluating their own actions from a different

perspective. Humans must use an emic perspective to gain a complete understanding of a culture.

Discuss at least two methods used in anthropology (from our class discussion and your

reading on methodology in cultural anthropology) which could have been used to make this

analysis less biased and indicate how they should be utilized to accomplish this goal.

Through anthropology, one can learn about one's own origins as well as the cultures of

the world. Anthropology employs a variety of methods to learn about and study cultures that the

majority of people have never heard of or studied. Ethnography enriches anthropological

research. The study of a culture through data collection and analysis is known as ethnography.

Miner could study the Nacirema culture using a variety of methods. The first is personal

observation, in which he could adopt an emic rather than an etic viewpoint. Miner's more emic

approach would have provided the reader with a better understanding of Nacirema culture rather

than leaving them in the dark about why they live the way they do. Because conducting in-depth

interviews with its inhabitants in their native language is the emic way to learn about a culture.

Despite the fact that the article observes Ncirema behavior, it fails to explain why the Nacirema

does these unusual things. This example demonstrates a lack of accurate information about the

Nacirema. Before they were explored, the people of Nacirema may have been doing something
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else. People change their behavior when they realize they are being watched in order to please

the observer, which can lead to inaccurate data collection. If this evaluation had been conducted

by emic anthropologists, who conduct extensive interviews, there would be no confusion or lack

of information. Many assumptions are made when observing the "ritual" of the Nacirema

women. It can be difficult to decipher what the anthropologist is trying to say from this

information.

The narrative could also be written using data collected through ethnology which cultural

anthropologist use it to compare and contrast two or more different cultures (Cultural

anthropology). People gain a better understanding of how human culture changes and adapts as a

result. As a result, ethnology places a high value on using both "etic" and "emic" perspectives in

research. Analyzing local realities is made easier by etic, while comprehending them is made

possible by emic. The article makes no mention of why or how the Nacirema do what they do;

instead, Miner simply observes their way of life and how they build and behave at various times.

Because the anthropologist has evidence that one culture is superior to another, the Nacirema

culture can be compared to other cultures. As a result, some people may find the comparison

odd. According to Miner's observations, it's impossible to say whether the Nacirema used to act

the same way they do now. It's unclear whether the nacirema adapted their culture from other

cultures.
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References

Facing the future.org, (2002). WHO ARE THE NACIREMA?

http://www.thebellacademy.com/uploads/2/6/5/6/26569366/nacirema.pdf

Admin, (2015). Difference Between Emic and Etic.

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-emic-and-vs-etic/

Emic and Etic Perspectives.

202004120825283934tara_bhatt_anthro_features_of_field_work.pdf.

https://www.lkouniv.ac.in/site/writereaddata/siteContent/202004120825283934tara_bhatt

_anthro_features_of_field_work.pdf

Cultural anthropology. Methodology.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/methodology/