The medical staff at MCMC were not trained or ready for anything like what they experienced with the Hmong community. Language difficulty was a given, but lack of compliance, strong differences in cultural beliefs, hardships related to scientific discovery, and high birth rates, caused medical staff to become worked up when caring for Hmong patients. […]
In less than two decades, much of Gebusi life has changed due to Western influence. For instance, “not one of the 16 marriages in the community between 1982 and 1998 was considered sister-exchange,” which was arguably the most culturally acceptable method for marriage at one point (156). On Knauft’s first exposure to Gebusi settlements in […]
As one might expect, in a changing culture, there are changing economic conditions and practices. For the Gebusi, this would have tremendous significance for females in their society. In 1998, misogyny continues to have a great presence in Gebusi lives; but, between the 1980s and 2000, it is also true that women have gained more […]
After Bruce Knauft and company returned to the United States several years went by before Knauft would make his way back to Gebusi settlements, sixteen years to be precise. And in that time Gebusi culture had dramatically morphed into a society run by time, and Christianity. This new lifestyle, one might argue, was a loss […]
Arguably, it is a good sign when anthropologists are surprised while conducting field work, it lends a certain level of excitement and support for the important work that they are doing. They are recording observations never formerly recorded before or they are witnesses to events other outsiders may never have been permitted to witness. In […]
The cross section of respecting cultural beliefs and patient centered care is explored early on in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which looks at the experiences of a Hmong family in their hardships within the United States medical system as recent refugees. It is nearly a sad story of everything […]
The concept of human sexuality is a sensitive and critical subject area while learning the cultural practices of a given society both present and past. It is sensitive because, many societies will place emphasis on individual privacy for the human body. It is important because, for many societies, sex (and sexuality) stretches beyond procreation; by […]
Arguably the single most unifying event in the human experience is within child birthing; however, human diversity teaches students of anthropology to compare or contrast the intricacies of one set of traditions with the practices of a differing society to gain a deeper perspective and appreciation for the other culture. Harvard alumni and winner of […]
With a culture centered around reciprocity and spirituality, it is no wonder that marriage is a critical characteristic of Gebusi life. In truth, it is in every society that “kinship and marriages are important,” and how those relationships are manifested, informs the cultural narrative (66). Within Gebusi society are clans and kinships. Clans are member […]
“…[T]he community was protecting itself from identifying too closely with so many young lives ending so quickly” (47). The events surrounding death in Gebusi culture gives way to further revelations for anthropologist Bruce Knauft. Dugawe was a Gebusi man, with a wife and several unfortunate outcomes for his family and him. It is important to […]
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