American Culture In America?

A Question

-- Is there American culture in America?

This is a question many Americans ponder. And surprisingly, the term "American Culture" simply does not exist in the lexicon of some of the very people this notion refers to. If one would ask Americans what they think "culture" means, they would probably say that it sounds foreign, exotic or it's something that refers to other societies around the globe. It may even sound ridiculous to some. After all, how can a society whose greatest achievement is the break-neck speed at which hamburgers, fries and shakes are served to billions of people every year?

The fact is that America does have a culture. And the styles, habits and rituals that Americans pose haven’t escaped the close scrutiny of cultural anthropologists around the world, especially the Americans' denial of having a culture.

Cultural Ambivalence

This "cultural" ambivalence is the subject of two articles that focus on American Culture. The satirical article, "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" ("American" backward) and the observation piece, "Life and Cultures: The Test of Real Participant Observation", which covers different subjects. Yet, both articles zero in on the notion that many Americans have about their own culture.

Purposefully, the name of the people being studied, "American", was turned around to spell "Nacirema"

The first article by anthropologist Horace Miner from University of Michigan focuses on Americans' obsession with good hygiene. Yet, instead of describing the details in the usual vernaculars that Americans are accustomed to, he describes such events as “shaving” and visiting the dentist's office as if he was an outsider viewing these common practices.

On the other hand, the observations made by a UCLA professor -- and Italian-born -- E.L. Cerroni-Long describes her ordeals studying the cultures of Japan and the United States. In her article she makes reference to how American students react upon learning that they have a culture.

Nacirema

Of the two articles, Miner's piece seems to be the most radical. Although this is an observation made by the author, this article is written as a satire which covers up the true identity of the people being observed. Purposefully, the name of the people being studied, "American", was turned around to spell "Nacirema" -- a name that sounds tribal and far removed from American society. Also, choice words such as "body ritual", "Spirit of Truth (allegory for the popular American myth of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree)", and "charm-box" (used to describe the medicine cabinet) and other such words -- words that would usually be used to describe primitive cultures -- are used throughout the piece.

At first, it seems the article is talking about an Indian tribe in North America. Yet, as one peruses this article, they will find that certain rituals seem very similar to daily American habits. But does the reader make the connection that Nacirema is actually American?

Eventually, the clues -- the ritual, the backward spellings and allegories to common American myths -- will reveal the true identity of the people being observed. However, this article is not merely about hiding the true identity of a culture. There is a reason for the satire. One objective is to dispel the ethnocentric belief that Americans have of their own civilization.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's culture is better than the other. In the views of many Americans, their advanced civilization is far superior to other cultures such as the Middle East, Africa and South America. Yet, in this article, American society is described in the same manner that one would describe other less advanced cultures. Using this metaphor, the author placed the United States on the same level as a tribal culture that may be found in South America or Africa. Miner concludes by describing Nacirema:

• Our review of the ritual life of the Nacirema has certainly shown them to be a magic-ridden people. It is hard to understand how they have managed to exist so long under the burdens which they have imposed upon themselves (Minor 1956).

In other words, what Americans see as simple science, technology or simply characteristics of an advanced society, can easily be termed as "magic" by outsiders.

In many respects, these traits of American life were nothing Cerroni-Long expected.

Minor indicates in his article that Americans' lack of knowledge of their country having a culture is due, in part, to how Americans interpret "culture". The term, many Americans believe, is used to describe less-advanced societies.

Life and Cultures

Cerroni-Long's article is a different approach. Like Miner's article, "Life and Cultures" is written with a poetic view of American Culture. But, the main focus of this article is one person's account and how her intellectual preparation does not protect one from culture shock. In this article she describes the individualistic, often competitive nature, her American colleagues and her students at UCLA have.

In many respects, these traits of American life were nothing Cerroni-Long expected. In this article; however, she touches upon other traits of American life. She describes America as having, "a profound disbelief in systemic constraints and, in particular, in the reality of an indigenous culture."

Despite her attempts not to sound ethnocentric or to pass judgement on a culture, Cerroni-Long exposes the good and bad aspects of American culture. She writes that she had been polling her students systematically over the years and "conclude[s] that denying that an American culture exists seems to be one of the most consistent local traits."

She points out that this is a weakness Americans have in viewing themselves. Yet, Cerroni-Long also exposes a positive side to American point-of-view; their ability to discuss aspects of a culture they don't realize they have:

• But Americans are very interested in themselves, and if a foreigner asks about seemingly peculiar cultural characteristics -- Why do people eat popcorn at the movies? Why do coffee cups often get refilled for free in restaurants? Why do people always get invited to social events in couples? Why is ethnicity only recognized in minority groups? Why is youth considered better than maturity? -- they take a pause and seem willing to start looking at their behavior from a new perspective. This is when teaching anthropology becomes truly exciting (Cerroni-Long 1993).

In other words, while Americans deny they have a culture, if one points out the peculiarities of this culture -- as compared to others -- Americans will come to understand that they do live within a culture.

Americans Have a Culture

In many respects, these articles are similar. Both articles touch upon America's cultural ambivalence. And, most of all, both articles describe certain aspects of American culture. Also both articles take on an outsider's view of America, despite the fact that Harold Miner is an American writing about his own culture (he simply puts himself in the perspective role of a foreigner).

Despite the similarities, these articles have different focuses. Cerroni-Long's article is a mere account of the American way of life while Miner's piece is pure satire to point out a false and ethnocentric perception of "culture".

The two articles do come to the same conclusion. America does have a culture and the people of this nation need to recognize what it is to better understand themselves as well as being able to empathize with other cultures around the world.

Work Cited

1. Cerroni-Long, E.L. (1993) "Life and Cultures: The Test of Real Participant Observation" from Distant Mirrors: America as a Foreign Culture. P. 77 Wadsworth Publishing Company. Belmont, California.

2. Miner, Horace (1956) "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema". American Anthropologist 58: p. 503-507.