Introduction
Traditions and values differ across cultures. In exploring the issue of rites of passage, outsider and insider viewpoints give a broader picture of the values and customs unique to a particular race. Racial minorities, including African Americans, learn historical information and values that are consistent with their culture.
Understanding rites of passage from an insider’s (emic) viewpoint would indicate that cultural differences could be ascribed to the customs or choices specific to each group. Therefore, from an emic perspective, unlike racism, a cultural practice is not a matter of choice, but a belief that people identify with. This paper explores the African American and Japanese cultures from etic and emic perspectives, respectively, and provides a self-reflective stance on the issue of race.
An Etic Perspective
An ‘etic’ standpoint gives an outsider’s stance on an aspect of a culture. For African Americans, their ancestral history and practices form an important aspect of their race. Race, as a construct, groups people based on their visual characteristics that reflect a common ancestry (Crapo, 2013). It is different from racism, which is the subordination of particular racial groups based on certain beliefs.
Emphasis on knowing one’s ancestral practices and values is central to the African American identity. From an ‘etic’ standpoint, cultural heritage can be seen as a universal way of identity formation across cultures. The identity motive ascribed to African Americans could as well be associated with any other minority cultural group. The youth learn their ancestral roots and heritage, which define their identity as an ethnic group.
Miner (1956) examines the unique ritual activity of the Nacirema culture that entails ceremonies and household shrines dedicated to cleansing the human body of disease. The Nacirema people believe that the human body is prone to disease and in need of constant cleansing. An anthropologist may not understand the significance of the ritual or the value the Nacirema place on household shrines.
From an anthropological perspective, the practice may be likened to standard medical care or ritualistic ablutions that are common across cultures. In this view, this ritual is a hallmark of the Nacirema’s cultural identity, history, and economic/ecological situations. Similarly, for African Americans, their spirituality, sense of communalism, and practices is a source of a distinctive identity for the race. Race is founded on the socially constructed characteristics, such as communalism and spirituality, which define group identity.
Identity development is one way a cultural group can distinguish itself from others. Overall, people have a tendency to identify themselves with the attributes that distinguish them from others. African Americans’ distinctive spirituality and communalism are hallmarks of their identity as a race.
Across cultures, individuals identify with certain characteristics or practices that define their cultural identity. A distinctive death/after life rites of passage, an intricate death ritual performed by the Japanese elderly, play a role in the formation of their cultural identity (Tsuji, 2011). Thus, while practices may be different across cultures, they all play a role in shaping cultural identities.
While the underlying ideals in identity formation may be similar across cultures, African Americans’ cultural heritage and communalism is a distinctive characteristic. In addition, an anthropologist may consider the art and music that this group predominantly identifies with as being distinctive characteristics. This group draws on a rich heritage, values, and beliefs that are markedly different from those of other American ethnic minorities.
Inherent cultural values and beliefs shape the cultural rituals practiced by each culture or race. In this view, an outsider can only have a vague idea regarding the cultural meanings attached to a ritual. Referring to the Nacirema’s retention of “old magical materials in the charm-box”, Miner (1956) writes, “We can only assume that they protect the worshiper” (p. 1).
Thus, when some aspects of a culture or ritual are shrouded in mystery, he or she can only assume about their significance. Similarly, an anthropologist can attribute African Americans’ emphasis on their history as a way of defining their identity in a multicultural environment. The identity lies in their ethnic background.
The rites of passage bear significant cultural meanings to a culture. They involve intricate rituals that are sacred to the natives. The Japanese elderly individuals perform “birthday and mortuary rituals” to prepare them for a smooth transition into the afterlife (Tsuji, 2011, p. 28).
The significance of these rituals is that they provide the natives an opportunity to reflect and celebrate the lives of the elderly. Similarly, from an anthropological standpoint, for African Americans’ emphasis on communalism is significant in their lives as a means to identity formation. It allows them to reflect and appreciate their heritage, beliefs, and values.
An Emic Perspective
An emic viewpoint reflects the perspective and the sentiments of the natives of a culture. An insider viewpoint reflects the perspectives of the Japanese regarding the afterlife rituals, which form an important part of their culture.
From an emic perspective, the dead hold an important place in the Japanese daily experiences of the family members. It is customary for the Japanese to offer “sweets, snacks, and fruit” to the ancestors before consumption (Tsuji, 2011, p. 29). From an emic viewpoint, this ancestral worship keeps the Japanese close to their ancestors.
The Japanese afterlife rituals and mortuary traditions can be interpreted based on local beliefs and traditions. The belief in a “rite of passage to afterlife” dictates the well-defined rituals performed to a dying relative before and after death (Tsuji, 2011, p. 29). In their own view, family members have an obligation to care for their departed relatives through ancestral rites of passage, unique cremation practices, and periodic rituals to commemorate their dead.
The periodic rituals for the ancestors connect the living to the ancestral world. The rituals, which are performed at a family grave or alter, give the elderly the assurance that they will be cared for by their relatives upon death. It also creates a sense that they will be remembered for a long time after their death. Besides the ancestral rites, the elderly family members tell the youth stories about their ancestors. In their view, the stories help the younger generation to connect with long-dead ancestors.
From an emic standpoint, the ancestral rites and stories of the ancestors helps preserve the family history from one generation to another. Memories of distant ancestors remain fresh in the minds of the descendants because of the periodic rituals performed at the family alter.
In addition, the records of departed family members are written in a book that is “kept at the family temple” (Tsuji, 2011, p. 29). Maintaining the records of ancestors helps the younger generations to learn about their origin and genealogical history, which is essential in identity formation.
The natives value the remembrances of the ancestors as a way of dealing with the difficult times associated with the death of a family member. On the other hand, the tenderness and affection associated with ancestral rituals help the elderly cope with the emotional and physical distress of aging.
The periodic memorials allow the family members to relive the memories of their departed relative. Thus, from an emic perspective, observing the customs of mourning a departed loved one is important in coping with the grief and sorrow of losing a close relative. According to Tsuji (2011), the memorials also help the family members to “structure their lives” following the death of a loved one (p. 31). They mitigate the distress of the grieving period.
To the Japanese, death marks a transition from the living world to the afterlife. In this view, the descendants take care of ancestors preserved in a family grave. Offering gifts in the form of sweets and snacks ensures close contact with the ancestors. In addition, ancestral rites are transferred from one generation to another to preserve the traditions that are unique to the Japanese culture. The ancestral rites that are unique to the Japanese reflect common ancestry or race.
Conclusion
It is evident that besides visual characteristics, cultural practices define the identity of racial groupings. An etic perspective reveals that African Americans sense of communalism gives them a sense of cultural identity. On the other hand, the Japanese ancestral rites indicate the value of ancestors in individual daily life and experiences.
From a self-reflexive stance, the writer has learned that cultural stereotypes can arise when one does not understand the beliefs and practices of another culture. The stereotypes can lead to racism based on visual characteristics such as skin color. Etic and emic perspectives reveal the ideals and values underlying a particular cultural practice and thus, help remove racial prejudice.
References
Crapo, R. H. (2013). Cultural Anthropology.
Miner, H. (1956). Body Ritual among the Nacirema. American Anthropologist, 58(3), 1-2.
Tsuji, Y. (2011). Rites of Passage to Death and Afterlife in Japan. Generations, 35(3), 28-33.