For this?blog?you?ll be doing an observation of your living space from the perspective of cultural anthropology.? I want you

For this blog you’ll be doing an observation of your living space from the perspective of cultural anthropology.  I want you to look at your surroundings where you live as if you were an anthropologist and describe what you see so that an outsider could understand the culture and society of the people who live there.  Spend at least 2 days observing the place and the people in your home.  If you live alone, observe your place and your own behaviors.  This assignment has 2 parts. 

1. Key Cultural Artifacts, Cultural Behaviors, Cultural Knowledge 

First, look around the space and identify some key cultural artifacts.  These can be any objects that are commonly used in your space.  Then explain the cultural behaviors that are involved with using these artifacts. Finally, discuss the cultural knowledge that a person must have in order to properly use the artifacts.  For example, in the module we spoke about the metro card.  This could be a key cultural object for someone who regularly takes the subway or bus.  The key cultural behavior would be that you buy a card at the subway station or from a store that sells them using cash or a credit card.  You then swipe to get into the subway or dip the card to get on to the bus.  The knowledge you need would be an understanding of money.  You need to know how to swipe or dip the card.  You need to know about the different type of cards, how much money to put on the card, how to do that, and how to use them to enter or transfer.  

2. Tacit and Explicit Culture

For part 2, think about the tacit and explicit cultural behaviors that take place in this space.  What norms of behavior do you observe that are explicit? That is, what are some of the rules of the house that people follow and could explain to others who enter your home? For example, do you take your shoes off when you enter? Can you put your feet up on the table? Does it matter who sits where in the home? Are some of the cultural artifacts only accessible to some and not others in the home? What would be a taboo behavior or faux pas for someone visiting your home? In other words, what behaviors that other people find ‘normal’ would you find inappropriate or offensive if a visitor did them in your space? How would you help them to adapt to the cultural norms of your home?

Then think about the tacit behaviors that take place in your home (these are the behaviors that people may not even be aware of doing).  Observe the people in action over a couple of days.  Do you notice any behaviors that they may not even be aware of themselves? What are some of the habits and routines that people in your home perform, perhaps without even realizing it?  For example, someone in your home may have a habit of turning on the tv as soon as they get home.  Another person my have a habit of brushing their teeth before breakfast and someone else might brush them after breakfast.  Someone might always make coffee in the morning and another might have a type of tea that they always drink at night.  Someone might put their shoes away as soon as they get home.  Someone else might always leave their socks and shoes out in the living room.  These are not rules per se.  They are simply the habits and regular behaviors that you observe and notice.  They might not even be aware that they do it regularly.  

Write-Up of Observations

The write up of your observations should be approximately 900 words long (450 for each part).  Write your observations in essay form and try to be as descriptive as possible so that an outsider could picture what it is that you observed.  Assume that we are not familiar with your home and cultural artifacts.  This means you may have to describe and explain what you see in more detail than you at first think because the objects and behaviors are familiar to you.  If you would like to post photos, that is encouraged but not required.  

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