Howard Miner: Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

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This activity contains 3 questions.

At what point did you realize what Miner is up to in this piece? When did you discover just who the “Nacirema” are? Why do you think he describes the Nacirema as being a “magical” people? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Identify three social practices that Miner describes and explain how he satirizes each. What do the practices or behaviors have in common? How and why does Miner get us to view them in a fresh manner?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Try your hand at writing an essay that describes some familiar contemporary customs from the standpoint of an anthropologist, perhaps an anthropologist from another culture or world. You may wish to write about physical behavior and customs; social customs such as weddings; musical events such as rock concerts; or athletic contests such as the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the World Cup.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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