ETHNOGRAPHY OF RELIGION

ETHNOGRAPHY OF RELIGION Please read the description of the Religion ethnography carefully and ask me in class to explain anything that isn't clear. Please choose your site by October 8. I’m including a short list of possible sites for the ethnography: Sikh, Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist. Shumei. There are other religions and other sites. There is a Unitarian Church in Santa Monica. Bahai is an interesting religion but you have to be invited to attend by a member. If you have access to a Santeria or similar ceremony, great. If you are interested in attending a Jewish synagogue, ask me, or plan to attend with someone familiar with the service. There are many possibilities, all different; as with most of the religions represented in Los Angeles. To make the project worthwhile choose a site as different from your own background as you can. If you have a Catholic background please do not observe any kind of Christian service. If you are Christian please do not observe a Catholic service. You are welcome to attend a non-English language service as long as you understand the language being used. Some places that don’t work for this project are Scientology, the Self Realization Fellowship, the Mormon Temple, the Kabbalah Center, SGI Buddhist, Hare Krishna. Be sure to okay your choice with me. RELIGION ETHNOGRAPHY PROJECT Choose site by October 8 Due: November 3 7-10 - pages, size 12 font, double-spaced, 1” margins Attend a religious activity that you’re curious about and would like to explore. You must attend a service, not simply visit a religious site. Examples: a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, Quaker meeting. You must speak to people who are participants in the service – ideally both leaders and community members. You are required to stay after the service for food, lunch, other refreshment, or informal gathering. This may be the most important part of your experience. You must go someplace you’ve never been to before. Do NOT choose your own tradition or somewhere you’re even a bit familiar with. Choose somewhere entirely new and different. The important thing is to come to the service as an outsider, with the eyes and ears of an anthropologist and take note of everything. Use the skills you gained in your previous ethnographic fieldwork projects and your reading. You can attend alone. Better, go with a co-researcher from the class. Best, you can be the guest(s) of a classmate or someone else you know and discuss the event with them. Invite a classmate or two to attend a service from your tradition. Do not write about an event you attended in the past. But you can use past experiences for comparison and reflection. Research methods should include participant/observation and informal conversation. One slightly more formal interview is desirable. It probably won’t be appropriate to jot down notes during the event. Better, write everything you remember immediately after the event. Get sufficient detail to write “thick”, rich descriptions of the setting and the interaction. Spatial organization: Describe the physical environment and how space is used. Material culture: Note ritual objects, incense, art and architecture, materials, colors. Embodiment: How is ritual ‘embodied’? What body movement (for example clapping, bowing, swaying, holding hands, dancing) is involved? Notice body language, gesture and gaze. Get a sense of the emotional mood and tone of the service. Note what participants do and how they dress. Notice as much as you can about language use both during the service and in the social gathering that accompanies it: what language or languages do the participants use? Do they switch between languages? Do they mix them? In a multilingual setting can you tell who uses which language – how different age group or genders use language? Do people tell stories? What kind and to whom? If relevant, note the role of the leader (preaching, call and response and so on) and his or her relationship to the congregation? What about the relationships between participants? What role does verbal, artistic expression, poetry, poetic language and liturgy play? What is the role of breath, silence, speaking, singing? What about ‘speaking in tongues’ or trance? Note rituals, sample conversations, stories and interaction. IMPORTANT: Think about what meaning the event has for the participants. What needs does it fulfill? What do the rituals mean? Remember that ritual activities and symbols can have multiple meanings. Note especially what significance the service and membership in the community has for the particular group of people who attend. Think especially about the needs of immigrant groups. In writing your paper use terms we've discussed in class and think about connections to the books we’ve read. Talk to at least two but preferably more participants to get their ‘take’ on the event. How do they explain or interpret it? Why do they attend? What do they ‘get’ from it? Be reflective: Make special note of your part in the action. What is your role as ‘ethnographer’? Does your presence affect the service or the participants? How does this research experience affect you? Do you feel strange, or find yourself being judgmental? Why might this be? Your reactions can teach you about the way you have been influenced by your own culture. OUTLINE: Include each of these sections. Title Page: Name of paper (pick something creative!), your name, name and time of the course, instructor's name, date. Introduction: What you studied and what you were able to observe. Data collection/field research methods: What methods did you use to collect your data? (Participant-observation? Conversation? Informal interviews? Formal interview?) Narrative description based on your data: Based on your notes write a fully developed and detailed narrative about your experience and the event. You can tell the story chronologically, starting with your decision to attend the particular site, your preparation and trip from home etc. Then paint a picture and capture the feel of the event. Include a lot of detail. Describe the rituals, ritual items/material culture, the physical environment/how space is used, cultural rules/protocols, sample interactions and behaviors, gestures, facial expressions, physical appearances, tone of conversation, relationships, surroundings and anything else from your observations/conversations/interviews. Reflect on your role: Your relationship to the event, its effect on you. Analysis: What is the MEANING of the service (the place, the occasion, the content, the community) to the people who attend? What needs does it satisfy and how does it satisfy them? In what ways are the cultural practices effective? Areas for Further Research: If you were to return, what would you focus on? What would you like to know more about? Bibliography: Include people you interviewed and any outside sources (Internet, books, articles) you may have referred to. Photography: You can supplement your written ethnography with photographs taken during the event or, if that’s inappropriate, photographs of the setting and individual participants taken before or after the event. Possible sites: Buddhist http://www.laweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/biggest-chinese-buddhist-temple-in-the-west-1509667/ http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=buddhist_temples&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA SIKH Vermont Gurdwara 1966 N Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027 Ph 323-665-7707 Sikh Temple on Robertson Blvd. http://www.worldgurudwara.com/V4/401947.asp# Gurdwara Los Angeles 7640 Lankershim Blvd N Hollywood, CA 91605 Ph 818-765-9399 Guru Ram Das Ashram 1620 Preuss Rd Los Angeles, CA 90035 Ph 310-201-0954 Siri Guru Singh Sabha of Los Angeles 101 S Chapel Ave Alhambra, CA 91801 Ph 213-282-5728 Valley Sikh Temple 7400 Jordan Ave Canoga Park, CA 91303 Ph 818-884-2007 ISLAM 1. Islamic Center of Southern California Neighborhood: Koreatown 434 S Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90020 (213) 382-9200 “beautiful mosque. the building looks like just a regular office, but inside is totally different. Again like my temple, very serene, peaceful, loving, caring, everything Islam is about. Islam is peace.” 2. IMAN Cultural Center 3376 Motor Ave Los Angeles, CA 90034 (310) 202-8181 An Iranian-American Muslim community center, very friendly and full of information. Great networking for young Iranian-Muslim professionals. They have many cultural and religious events. The organization is used by many… (323) 735-8072 7. King Fahad Mosque Neighborhood: Culver City 10980 Washington Boulevard Culver City, CA 90232 (310) 204-1250 “I love this mosque!!! Made the best Friends ever there!!” 16. Islamic Center of North Hollywood Neighborhood: North Hollywood 5114 Vineland Ave North Hollywood, CA 91601 (818) 861-9786 CATHOLIC Catholic Directory http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/directory.cfm?fuseaction=search_directory&absolutecity=Los%20Angeles&state=CA& Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels http://www.olacathedral.org/ A beautiful L.A. landmark for its art and architecture La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles,[2] or The Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels, is a historic Catholic church in the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, in northern downtown Los Angeles, California. St. Monica’s 725 California Ave Santa Monica, CA 90403 Neighborhood: Santa Monica (310) 566-1500 http://www.stmonica.net Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia 1324 S Normandie Ave Los Angeles, CA 90006 Neighborhood: South Los Angeles (323) 737-2424 http://www.stsophia.org/ Maryknoll Japanese Catholic Center 222 S Hewitt St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Neighborhood: Downtown (213) 626-2279 http://www.yelp.com/biz/maryknoll-japanese-catholic-center-los-angeles Yelp comment “The Japanese culture shines through the holy mass each day and it makes me think of all the great saints who have been to Japan like St. Francis Xavier and St. Max Kolbe. I love it here” Synogogues. ASK ME. NESSAH EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL CENTER ESTABLISHED 1980 Nessah Synagogue, the largest traditional Persian Jewish congregation in the United States, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, offering Nursery and Hebrew School programs, as well as a beautiful banquet hall for Brit Milahs, Bar and Bat Mitzvah parties, engagement celebrations and weddings - call our office at 310.273.2400 for more information. http://www.nessah.org/ HINDU Malibu Hindu Temple malibuhindutemple.org/ About Us About temple and its location • Upcoming EventsCurrent & Past Events • All Events Calendar 2013Events throughout this year • Puja ServicesOur Puja ... 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 880-5552