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QUESTION

ethnography

n this assignment, you are asked to write a 2-3 page paper (double-spaced) discussing a scholarly article that documents ethnographic research. Your paper will include a short summary of main ideas from the article, but it will also reflect your opinion. Your own reaction to this article, and thoughtful consideration of the anthropological interpretation, will be the most important part of this writing assignment.
Choosing a Research Topic
Choose a topic that you are interested in! Think about the ethnographic topics that we have covered this semester. Try searching for an article by using keywords. Make sure that the article you find is anthropological (and not from archaeology, sociology, or another related discipline) and that it is scholarly, and not from popular media.
Here are some examples of key words or techniques you could search for: gender, identity, religion, ritual, functions of art, economy, socio-politics, kinship, marriage, power, language. You should also look to be sure that ethnographic research was conducted to collect the data in the case study you find. It might be a good idea to include ethnography in combination with your other search terms.
Finding a Scholarly Journal Article
To find a scholarly journal article, I suggest using one of the online search engines offered by the College Library. For example, from our school’s website, you can access electronic databases. JSTOR is an excellent database for finding anthropological journals.
Writing Your Paper
A strong paper will be well organized and have a coherent thesis. Here are some ways you can develop a strong thesis: Think about the conclusions made in the article. Do you agree or disagree? Do you think that something was overlooked in this study? Or did this article help you understand anthropological research in a new way? Form a thesis statement around the main idea that you have about this article.
Your thesis should appear in your introduction paragraph, where you also state the title and author(s) of the article that you are reviewing or critiquing. Since this is an opinion paper, it is OK to state “In this paper I argue…” and to write your paper in the first person.
Following the introduction, include a 1-2 page summary of the article. The summary should focus on the parts of the article that are most relevant to your thesis. In this paper you should focus on the methods and interpretation, and leave out detailed information about the culture – a 1-2 sentence description is fine. While you need to briefly state what was being studied, you should include more description about how the study was conducted and how the interpretations were drawn.
Then you should write about your opinion on this article. This is where you elaborate on your thesis idea, in about a page of text. Be sure to use the appropriate terms that we learned in this class.
At the end of your paper, be sure to include a complete citation in APA format.
This paper will be graded based on content and clarity of writing. Be sure to submit a carefully planned and thoughtful paper. Present your ideas in an organized way and be careful to have a clear thesis or main point. Lastly, be sure to proof read. Submissions should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf form.

Subject	Article Analysis	Pages	6	Style	APA

Answer

- 1. Article Critique: Ethnographic Research
    
    Introduction
    
                Ethnographic research is one amongst the most productive methods of research, always revealing more than any other form of research could. This is majorly because the researcher often has a lot of time to interact with the life of the subject and collect information that could have been biased without constant observation. However, certain conclusions may not be regarded as true, generally. For instance, in an ethnographic study called An Ethnographic Study of Marriage System and the Runaway Brides of Kalash, Sheikh and Hafeez-ur-Rehman (2013) conclude that the youth of that culture – who have resorted to marrying through elopements – do so because of love and not money. In this paper, I offer a critical view of the same conclusion while arguing that marriage through elopements does not really mean marrying for love and not for money.
    
    Article Summary
    
                This study is an ethnographic study of traditional marriage practices as well as wife elopement cases, which the article claims have been rampant, among the Kalasha community in Pakistan. Having strict rules of exogamy and other marital expectations such as bride price, many individuals who could not meet those standards have been noted to find their own path towards marriage. As the ethnographic study denotes, contemporary issues such as wife elopements have created feuds among lineages within the community. Mostly, the information for this study is collected from a PhD research survey conducted in 2008-09 from 825 households through anthropological techniques. The survey collected information through observations and in-depth interviews from 75 respondents.
    
                Using this research, the ethnographic study concluded that a shift in the form of marriage has been experienced within the community, which has witnessed many cases of elopement marriages. The study also utilizes past studies in the same field to supplement the PhD research. This method of research is effective as it develops its conclusions from an informed point of view. The interpretations were drawn from these particular anthropological researches that informed the authors of this articles the culture of the Kalash community.
    
    My Opinion
    
                The article has adequately considered all the viable information that existed about the very culture it was studying. What is more, the interpretation is on point, often making references to research and evidence within the community at hand. However, as earlier mentioned, I have a contrary opinion in regards to one of the authors’ conclusions – that the idealistic view of the youth who practice wife elopements in order to avoid pressure in regards to expectations and paying bride price do so out of love and not for money. As much as I agree with some other conclusion within the study, this somewhat critical view arises due to the beliefs and experiences I have had in my observation of such matters. I believe that wife elopements, especially with all the reasons presented in the text, could mainly be attributed to the traditional process pressure (which is correctly mentioned) as well as financial difficulties in regard to bride price. While love could not be measured by bride price paid, I believe holding on to the tenets of the process in itself is a sign of love. Wife elopement, while it could be done out of love due to various reasons, poses many problems than it solves. Considering this is a sign of love.
    
    Conclusion
    
                In conclusion, it is clear that the article by Sheikh and Hafeez-ur-Rehman (2013) is a well-established ethnographic research with adequate data to make an informed conclusion. However, a critical review on one of the conclusions shows an error, at least according to what I believe. This paper has thus focused on the reasons why it is erroneous to conclude that wife elopement occurs as the youth seeks to marry for love and not for money. This is erroneous since, as explicated above, the process of elopement raises many challenges within the community – challenges which, ironically, should be avoided by love.

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References

Sheikh, I., & Hafeez-ur-Rehman, N. A. (2013). An ethnographic study of marriage system and the runaway brides of Kalash. Middle East J Sci Res, 16, 1393-402.