Doing Fieldwork - (Mis)Adventure in the Venezuelan Jungle

The study of sociology and anthropology can lead one to many places within their own society, but for others, it can lead to the study of culture in the most exotic of locations. This can be seen in Napoleon A. Chagnon's study of the Yanomamo tribe in Venezula, for a "civilized" Western man found himself deeply immersed into a completely foreign culture.

Chagnon had set out to study this tribe, and initially encountered extreme resistance from them. This was due to a large divide in the cultural beliefs of the two parties. For example, he was terrified by the shouting and overtly aggressive nature of the tribesmen, but after months of study and immersion, Chagon quickly became proficient in the Yanomamo way of life.


This is an example of how ethnocentrism is a part of every culture. We only ever learn what goes on around us, and as a result we favor our own culture's norms and customs. It is only through diligent study, or total immersion, that we truly see how another culture functions.


I have experienced this, albeit on a much lesser scale than the above case. I spend the majority of my summer break every year in Toronto, where I compete in the area's sailboat racing circuit, both for keelboat and dinghy racing. This exposes me to not one, but two different cultures, and leads to a minor case of culture shock. I do have the benefit of a common language, and a majority of cultural norms remain the same. However, as a whole the Canadian outlook on adolescence is much more relaxed. More choices are available, for example a few of my friends go to high schools devoted to art, where others go to schools for math and science. As a result, a overall more tolerant society is present.

A downwind leg of a Laser Radial race

The sailing community also has its fair share of norms, the most noticeable is its value of equipment. Sailing gear is pricey enough, but add racing to it, and the cost can become downright exorbitant. This develops an almost religious-like care for equipment. Lines must be properly coiled and stowed, the hull and deck spotless, and sails rolled to perfection. This in a universal value among the community, and one who does not respect this can often find themselves without a boat to crew on. To an outsider, this reverent care of equipment can seem monotonous, but to all in the community, it is a cultural given.     


The sense of our cultural being the "only" or "best" way of doing things, is ethnocentrism at its finest. This can be seen in our countries ongoing occupation of other countries, namely Afghanistan and Iraq. I see how it benefits America to ensure stability in that region of the world, but is it really our place to install a form of government that has never functioned there before? We think so. This is also how we, as Americans, obtain our reputation as being rude, obnoxious, and prying. It always surprised people that I became acquainted with in Toronto that I was American, ie "You're American? You're surprisingly polite." Although I am but one case, it stills demonstrates how we become fixated upon our own cultures and become less accepting of others.