American Culture – Ethnography.com

Religious Ritual at the Credit Card Machine

Posted on November 24, 2022November 24, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

Ritual Shrine Offerings Among the Exotic Nacirema Tribe

While it may seem that anthropologists have documented the most exotic rituals across the globe, the strangest rituals are still yet to be documented by scientists in the exotic tribe of the Nacirema. The strange beginnings of the exotic Nacirema tribe have been documented by Tocqueville (1835), and intimate body rituals have been documented by Miner (1956), but no scientist has brought to light the strangest worship ritual of any tribe on the planet.…

Thailand’s Most Famous Writer Finally Published in English

Posted on November 12, 2022November 12, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

Thailand’s most famous and beloved writer– Rong Wongsawan’s work has been translated, edited and published in English for the first time. For admirers of Thailand and its culture, you can now get a glimpse of California culture through the writing and ethnography of Thailand’s most famous ‘man of the people’ for the first time in English.Working really hard on the YouTube channel. If you want to help please subscribe here: Laurelin the Other.

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What Happens if Chinese Smartphones Teach English Lessons in Tanzania?

Posted on October 7, 2022November 6, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

English is the dominant global language of the world, it is the language of power, and control. But it is not the only language, and different people have different levels of command over the use of the same language. It is interesting to watch how this happens, often in unexpected ways, for example by the arrival of Chinese cell phones here in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

I recently bought the cheapest smartphone I could find, when it seemed my primary phone had been burned by excess voltage coming out of the electrical sockets in rural/provincial Tanzania (Kigoma).…

Returning

Posted on November 12, 2020April 3, 2022 by Tony Waters

– guest blog by Valerie Miller –

Returning is a problematic word for anthropologists. To turn is to go around, go another direction, move to a different position. But REturning would then mean to stay right where you are (by turning again), realizing the full circle. It is movement from A to B to A, movement from home to field to home. What happens when “returning home” no longer makes sense because field becomes home, or vice versa?…

The New Face of Ethnography, from Tanzania to Thailand

Posted on October 23, 2019April 3, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

The writings of an important Thai writer & journalist are just beginning to surface in the English language. I feel confident enough to say that I am the first anthropologist & ethnographer indebted to ‘Rong Wongsawan, because my mentor Dr. Tony Waters is conducting this translation work, with the help of his Thai students, and with the approval of Rong Wongsawan’s family. What makes this story more interesting is that I only know and speak two languages– English and Kiswahili, and I’m currently conducting Fulbright fieldwork in central Africa– in Kigoma, Tanzania.…

A Liquor Store is like a Drive-Thru Cheers

Posted on April 18, 2019April 3, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

Notes From the Liquor Store…

Thought I was finished working here.
But I remembered, I do like the liquor store.

Been coming in and chatting with Norm at night. He’s helping with my studies in Arabic philosophy. So I thought I’d give him a night off so he can run errands and cook dinner for his family. Norm says he has no knowledge of Arabic philosophy, but over time, he has showed me a little– books, poetry, music, history. …

Liquor Store Mind Bender Puzzle

Posted on March 19, 2019April 3, 2022 by Christina Lauren Quigley

This challenging mind bender puzzle is great fun to do over coffee, with friends, or on the toilet…alone. Imagine you are working as a cashier at a liquor store, late in the evening, the night after St. Patrick’s Day. Note: all California Super Lotto transactions are not entered in the cash register, but they must be paid for and so entered in the debit/credit machine only; lotto cannot be played on “credit” and there is a 50-cent “debit” fee.…