Who are the Nacirema and how shall they be defined? The dictionary defines an Anthropologist as a person that studies human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character‚ environmental and social relations‚ and culture (Webster 2011). I am not claiming to be an Anthropologist however‚ from my viewpoint‚ I am not sure if I am capable of grasping my mind around the concept that “the body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease” explained
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the Naciremas? Why or why not? After reading Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema I cannot say that I would want to be part of the tribe. A huge reason would be that I could never go from my own Christian faith to the religious practices of the Nacirema. My second reason for not wanting to be part of the tribe is that I could never be subjected to the horrific medical practices and “magical potions” used on every citizen in the tribe. One of the fundamental beliefs of the Nacirema is that
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primitive Nacirema‚ who carve out an existence somewhere between "the Canadian Cree‚ the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico‚ and the Carab and the Awawak of the Antilles" ("Body Ritual among the Nacirema‚ p. 1). Who could even think to compare Americans‚ in our advanced state‚ with such a remote and isolated group? However‚ upon closer reflection‚ however‚ it occurred‚ much to the present author’s surprise‚ that the Nacirema and Americans are in fact mirror images of one another. First‚ the Nacirema have
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the Nacirema A well-known anthropologist Horace Miner has conducted a research on the community called the Nacirema‚ which was originated in North America. The main focus of the research was made on the body rituals of the Nacirema‚ which then becomes the title of his work. According to Horace (1956) fundamental belief of the Nacirema is that a human body is weak and imperfect‚ irresistant to many diseases. He believes that in order to maintain a true potential of a body‚ the Nacirema performs
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Horace Miner writes about the Nacirema‚ a culture steeped in magic and superstition. Their ways of life are portrayed as uncivilized and barbaric. The Nacirema perform rituals and rites that are strange to us here in the civilized world. The description and portrayal of this tribe make it very hard for the reader to connect or even begin to understand such a strange people. Miner starts of the article creating an atmosphere of wonderment; “if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior
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Body Rituals of the Nacirema Tribe By Sir Horatio Galbraith People in the Nacirema culture spend a considerable portion of their days in ritual activity. The focus of some of these activities is the human body‚ the appearance and health of which loom as a dominant concern in the minds of the tribe’s people. While such a concern is certainly not unusual‚ the way the tribe operates can be considered quite unique. The fundamental belief of the people appears to be that the human body is ugly and
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Miner: American Vs. Nacirema Horace Miner expresses both irony and ridicule towards the American culture in his article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”. He uses a sociological approach that is rather witty‚ using a fictitious North American group called the “Nacirema”. The views of this culture are much like our own‚ depicting the importance of societal status‚ wealth‚ health and appearance. Miner introduces the readers to a society living between Canada and Mexico‚ originated by a founder called
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Body Rituals Among the Nacirema Assignment “Body Rituals Among the Nacirema”‚ by Horace Miner‚ is an essay written about the American people‚ from an outsider’s perspective‚ which he calls Nacirema‚ American spelled backwards. He disguises what he’s talking about by spelling many nouns backwards and giving things different names. Miner writes about American rituals in a foreign way that comes off as barbaric and heinous. He starts off talking about George Washington and how he founded America and
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study on the Nacirema Tribe. In the study he talked about their body rituals‚ and revealed to the world every strange ritual these people had. After reading this study‚ I decided to do one for myself. So I visited the Nacirema tribe. The things I observed still puzzles me. I noticed that everyday around the same time at daybreak‚ young Naciremas are awaken by an unusual noise coming from some sort of object. I have never in my life heard such an agitating sound. The young Nacirema then changes
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The rituals of the Nacirema To most of us‚ hospitals are a place to help you when you’re in need or want to get healthy. But for the Nacirema‚ it’s quite the opposite. According to the Nacirema ritual article‚ they call hospitals a latipso‚ which is hospital spelt backwards without the ‘H’. They discuss and caricature the repulsive viewings on what they think goes on in hospitals (latipso’s)‚ or what they think they do. I will now tell you how in Miner’s perspective‚ the body is ugly and how
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