Body Ritual Among The Nacirema Sociology

1986 Words8 Pages
First, we would like present the accepted definition of sociology, and then relate it to our lives. Sociology, according to Henslin, is the scientific study of society and human behavior. With this definition of sociology, we can now relate it to our own lives. Many people, including ourselves have been brought up and raised with a certain set of values. This upbringing is called our culture. Culture in this sense is the language, beliefs, vales, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that are passed on to us from our former generations. With this culture embedded into our brains, it is often hard to see and examine the world in any other way besides the one we were raised in. Sociology, then, is a way that helps us to look at the world…show more content…
He continues on to describe American culture as someone, perhaps from a tribal community, would. For example, the Nacirema have strange habits, such as going to see “holy-mouth-men,” that practice oral medicine. They believe without mouth rituals, their teeth would fall out and social relationships would fail. In addition, the focal point of each family is a shrine box where magical potions and charms are kept. In reality, the “holy-mouth-men” are dentists, and the shrine box is actually a medicine cabinet containing prescriptions etc. For a culture that does not practice what is considered normal by American cultural standards may look at what we do as abnormal. However, it is sociology that allows people to view and study a culture from that cultures perspective, not their…show more content…
From thinking about what “thinking” is during the early days of class, to actually taking a journey to visit your house and Detroit, this learning experience has been the first of its kind. No matter what destination students have landed at by the end of class, the amount of knowledge gained through this journey will be one to remember. To have a professor that opens your eyes to many different cultural views and causes such an abstract way of thinking is something that is not found often. Students have taken advantage the ease of current professors’ teaching methods, and in doing so, have forgotten how to truly think! You have broadened our minds by reengineering our creative thought processes and allowing us to look at ourselves and the world in a very different light; and for this, we say thank
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