Melita Ruth E.

Cruz Professor Francisco Datar

2012-78224 Anthropology 1

Article Review # 3 : George Gmelchs Lessons from the Field

The first thought that went into my mind after reading this was : I wish had the chance to be in
that position too. In the Music Literature subjects I have taken, we are exposed to different cultures
around the Philippines, Asia and to some extent, countries around the world. While it is truly
fascinating and eye-opening to hear, read and discuss things about these cultures that co-exist with
my own culture, I always wish for these knowledge to come (to me again) from the experiences. I
would regard fieldwork as the greatest eye-opener of all leanings which is rarely done in a university
setting.
The things that students learn were deep and poignant enough to change some of their action
after those summer in the field. The article mentioned that students now get less of products (e.g.
grocery goods) and give more to those in need. I see that there is a character change as you get
yourself into the experience of living with a different race since you felt what these people felt not
under a book cover or white page but under one roof full of stories and memories.
I never had an official field study but I wanna share my own little experience with how I learn
other culture (well, subculture perhaps). I live in Cainta with my whole family and we have been
there for 15 years. My father is a Sepoy and my mom is a Zambalena. For me, everytime we go to
Zambales and be with my moms relatives, Fun and Challenge boggle around each other. Well, it
is fun to be hang-out with them in beaches, parties and jamming sessions but living with them is the
challenging part. For there are differences with lifestyles, food preferences and view of time. For
malinenas, we are usually busy with either work or studies that keeps us awake until night or
midnight. Not so with probinsyanas who finishes everything they can until the sun is up (or leave
them for tomorrow) and sleep early. They live in kubos with blankets as beds while I dont. They
eat a lot of fruits and vegetables more than I usually do. They are very social as they always go with
friends and other relatives but not so with me, in Cainta. I relatively dont hang out much with people
except when there is school and/or when there is a concert in my home college (College of Music).
So everytime I go there in Zambales, I learn how to appreciate my belongings in our house and
things that I am privileged to have like gadgets. Somehow,I also learn how to value relationships
over my books since I experience in the province how to talk not with the knowledge gains from the
academe but from the topic of how life is for them and for me in our own unique backgrounds. [I
soon realize that those social activities that I dont do here in Cainta somehow drags my feet to stay
another day in Zambales or miss it the moment we open our gate in Cainta]. Betteryet, I know these
experiences are just trickles of what must I learn as I go through the facets and places of life, cultures
and places. What about living in Negros Occidental? In Davao? How about Germany? US? China? I
know, itll be just like this Zambales vacation: fun and challenging (all spiced up with different
flavors of cultures,social norms and appreciation). Isnt that exciting? I think it is.

Article # 4 : Laura Bohannans Shakespeare in the Bush

This reminds me of how people will always have different view about almost everything and
that we dont all think the same. Hamlet is one of the greatest writing of Shakespeare and it is also
widely known even here in the Philippines. It is my first time tho, to encounter someone or even a
tribe to ask many things with that story. For I just learn the story from Shakespeares view. I am
detached in the story. But not so with the Tiv clan as Bohannan explains that these people put
themselves in the story by integrating their own culture say the use of the elders in the society an
their view of the chief as the head not only of the tribe but also their culture.
It is a reminder for me, personally since I am a composer who wants every detail of music to be
precisely made and interpreted the way I intend it to be. I just had my recital last November 2016
where I played 7 of my pieces. It was a great time to let people know something about my music and
what does a Composition Recital looks like for those first timers. It went to be fulfilling but what
made it more memorable (aside that is was my birthday actually) was the peoples reaction towards
these pieces. They had their own interpretation based on their own backgrounds and experiences and
when they had shared that to me, I felt that the piece made something move in them. For they didnt
just listen,they understood. And they didnt just entertained themselves, they went to be critical and
observant.
I am learning much when other people share their own and ask why do I have views. Well, it is
part of expanding my horizon of views as well. I like knowing other cultures and what makes us
understand the world. Maybe, anthropology like other courses is multidisciplinary too. I see, with our
readings that we are training to view the world with many different lenses which I first realized when
I took Philosophy. Antropology is delving to the wholeness of the whole man- which I find
interesting and very challenging [since it involves alot of getting information with other cultures].
Melita Ruth E. Cruz Professor Francisco Datar
2012-78224 Anthropology 1

Exercise 3 : Ethnocentrism/Cultural Relativism

I find these terms quite interesting since I dont know how to label attitudes of people towards
the knowledge that they gain. Most people tend to give a lot of comments about a persons behaivor,
fashion, social practices and belief systems come across their own eyes of judgment. I usually keep
myself quiet (well, being an introvert who prefer writing it in papers instead) while these people
throw their mockery and insults towards a person or group people whom they see has weird
qualities. Ethnocentrism refers to the belief that a persons native culture is the best perspective to
understand the world. Cultural Relativism, however refers to the belief that a specific culture must be
understood by the people who live in that culture.
Now putting this in the Filipino context, I say that most of us are Ethnocentric by nature.
Filipinos like laughing out and mocking people from the government, show- business, in their work,
in schools, in reunions and even in their houses. We like giving comments ( which are mostly
negative and non-constructive) to make fun of others and so elevate ourselves over them. Say the
Senator Delimas resentment and warnings with Pres. Dutertes war on drugs for violating Human
Rights versus Pres. Dutertes accusations of Delimas illicit affair. People who are watching these are
purely letting their emotions out without even doing their own research with what could be the real
issue. And thats the same in small things: We, Tagalogs laugh at the intonation of Batangenos and
the e of Ilokanos. Why so? Thats the way they talk in their own province so they see nothing
wrong [and thats the way they communicate since childhood], so why laugh at them? Maybe, if we
practice Cultural Relativism in such little ways, we open ourselves to attitude change. And when we
had this attitude change, I believe we Filipinos will learn to embrace the other groups here in our
own country and appreciate how wonderful Philippines is.

Sources of readings:
http://www.ant2000.com/LessonsFromTheField.htm
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/31/16/de-lima-says-duterte-attacks-due-to-personal-vendetta
https://www.reference.com/world-view/examples-ethnocentrism-cultural-relativism-172b10cec0df96a9
http://study.com/academy/lesson/ethnocentrism-vs-cultural-relativism.html
http://www.westminster.edu/staff/brennie/wpgroup6/bohannan.html