Lila Abu-Lughod
Lila Abu-Lughod
Anthropology is the holistic study of humanity. Cultural anthropology is the study of cultural variation among humans. Humans acquire their culture through learning and since people live in different places different cultures are developed. Anthropologists practice the study of ethnography, which is where they put themselves in with the community they are studying and live with them for a long period of time. This is known as participant observation. It is putting oneself in the center of what or who is being observed and having the mentality that you are there to learn and be the student. This sometimes can be tricky because the anthropologists must put aside their cultural beliefs and biases if they are truly going to try to understand the subjects culture and beliefs. Although it is important to view the people of study through their eyes it is also very important to look at them as an outsider because we might see things that the people of the culture are to close to see themselves. When reading the two ethnographies by Lila Abu-Lughod and Morris W. Foster there were things that they two anthropologists did similar and things that they did different as well. Lila Abu-Lughod studied the Bedouin society in her book Veiled Sentiments. She lived among the Bedouins and became a part of their culture for two years studying the interpersonal relationships between the males and females of that culture. Some might argue that ethnography has flaws because it is studying just a snap shot of the people of a particular culture. It is looking at a culture in that particular time period and change occurs over time. Morris W. Foster studies the Comanche in his book Being Camanche both historically and ethnographically.
Lila Abu-Luhgod studied the Bedouin society by living among them for two years. She but herself into their community as a participant observer, and gained insight into that community and culture that could not have been obtained else ways. When she arrived in Alexandria her arrival was somewhat unusual. She arrived with her father not knowing that this would be to her great benefit. In the Bedouin society “unmarried women traveling alone on uncertain business was an anomaly” (Abu-Luhgod, 11). Her father being Arab knew that Lila would have a better chance proving her respectability if he was with her. Because she appeared to come from a good family the Hajs family, who was the head of the community, could take her in as a member of their household without jeopardizing their social status. Lilas father mad it clear to the Haj that she was under his protection, which he took very seriously. Although this introduction was unusual it helped Lila put away some of the suspicion people had about her. Being half Palestinian from her fathers side helped her get her foot in the door. There were also some disadvantages to her being introduced as a daughter. She took on a role of an adoptive daughter to the Haj and had certain obligations and chores she had to fulfill. Men who shouted commands at her ordered her around. The Bedouin society is one where “kinship defines most relationships”, so by having a role in a family she was able to participate more and get a better understanding of the culture (Abu-Luhgod, 15).
Men clearly held the upper hand in this society. Women had many restrictions on where they could go within the community and could never be seen alone. By interacting with the females Lila was able to get a better insight into the Awlad Ali society. The females were more interactive with her and gave her more feedback and interesting topics to help in her research, far more then the men of the Bedouin society. She found that most of the time talking with the males was boring because of the restrictions she had on what they could talk about. As Abu-Luhgod became part of the womens world she learned the importance that poetry has on social life. She became interested in the meanings of the poems and found out quickly never to disclose any of the poems to men. These poems were seen as confidential and a place were the women could express their thoughts freely and a way to communicate with others. Clothing also plays a big role in the identity of the Bedouin women. Married women wear the black veil and a red belt were “unmarried girls wear kerchiefs on their heads and around their waists” (Abu-Luhgod, 17). These women veil as a sign of modesty and respect.
Along with modesty, honor is a value in the Bedouin society especially among the males. One sign of honor is independence, which women cannot achieve because women are always dependents. Senior men hold most of the honor and make the decisions and have the marriages arranged for the younger men. Generosity is a value of honor. Taking in a guest is seen as a form of generosity. Just as easily as men achieve