This assignment
asks you to think about yourself as a member of multiple cultures and/or communities
by locating and analyzing the significance of an artifact, event, or interaction
that would help an outsider understand the culture you describe. You are also
asked to practice “thick description,” a key element of autoethnography,
in this exercise. Consider using this invention activity for your first short
paper.
1) Identify some
of the many cultures in which you claim membership. Use the categories below
as a guide and feel free to create more categories as well.
Groups
into which you were born:
Ethnic
Regional
Religious
Political
Family type
Socioeconomic
Gender/Sexual Orientation
Racial
Generational
Groups
of which you choose to be a part:
Athletic
Social
Technological
Regional
Religious
Political
Recreational
Gender/Sexual Orientation
Education
Occupation
Marital Status/Parenthood
2) Choose three
of these cultures and address the following questions as you think about explaining
this culture and your participation in it to someone from a completely different
culture. The key is to engage with these questions fully and thoughtfully and
to produce written documentation that you have done so. Your reflections and
answers can be in multiple forms--freewriting, listing, webbing, and/or clustering--but
I also ask that you write in prose/paragraph format as well.
What kinds of
qualities would you highlight? What would be most important? Least important?
• What kinds of things do members of this cultural group do and why?
What do they gain from engaging in these activities? Describe these activities
or rituals in detail (thick description).
• How does the group define itself? What characteristics are most important?
Least? Are there unique characteristics that mark this group?
• List as many elements and events of this culture as you can.
• How do you think/feel that outsiders perceive this group? Why? Is
this perception justified?
• How do you think membership in the culture has shaped the person you
are? Try to be specific.
• What kinds of rituals are important to this group, if any? (Not necessarily
religious; can also include holidays, weekly shopping with friends, movie
night, preparing for an event, etc.)
• Are there any artifacts or documents associated with this cultural
group? (For example, in marching band, the music sheet, uniform, etc.) Describe
one or more of these artifacts in great detail and explain their significance.
• Because of your membership in this particular cultural group, have
you ever found yourself in a situation where you were completely different
from others or another cultural group? How did this make you feel? What did
you hope they would understand about you?