HUMA 1825 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Nacirema, Cultural Relativism, Ethnography

• School: York University
• Department: Humanities
• Course: HUMA 1825
• Professor: Neil Braganza

Document Summary

Body ritual among the nacirema critical analysis summary. The article body ritual among the nacirema "" written by american anthropologist. Horace miner, 1956, 58 (3), 503-507, is an insightful article based on the use of satire to describe and discuss american culture in the 1950"s. The article was mainly respected in the anthropology field, due to the author"s sarcastic approach to showcase how americans are perceived to be ethnocentric. Professor linton brought the ritual of the nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago (miner 1956). The tribe was founded by a cultural hero named notgnihsaw, who was known for his accomplishments of strength. The cultural group was located between canada, mexico, and the carribean (united states), however they claimed to have originated from the east. The nacirema culture was based on a market economy, however the tribe dedicated a large portion of their days to rituals.