In the opening paragraph of their paper, Sam and Berry ask the question, "What happens to people when they move from the culture in which they have been born and raised to a new and unfamiliar culture? Arguably, when peoples of different cultural backgrounds come into contact with each other, they may (or may not) adopt each other's behaviors, languages, beliefs, values, social institutions, and technologies" (Sam & Berry, 2010). The authors further explain, the meeting between cultures can lead to acculturation, which is the process of cultural and psychological change that results from the meeting of the different cultures. Through this process, an individual can experience anxiety, uncertainty, and confusion in the new unfamiliar environment. This experience is defined as 'culture shock' (Oberg, 1960) or 'acculturative stress' (Berry, 2006). Our cultural worldview informs and influences our perception of other people from other cultures. We may only think about how 'they' are different from 'us' taking an ethnocentric approach rather than also recognizing that 'we' are also different to 'them.'

Please read this article on theBody Ritual Among the Nacirema by Horace Miner

Actions, reflect on the cultural practices of the Nacirema,read this short follow-up piece

Actions, and then discuss the following questions.

1. Who are the Nacirema? At what point in the article did you realize the cultural identity of the Nacirema?
2. Which practices and rituals of the Nacirema might cause anxiety, uncertainty, and confusion to someone acculturating into this culture? Brainstorm another ritual of the Nacirema that might seem unfamiliar to someone from another culture that is not mentioned in the article and share it with the class.
3. How does the Body Ritual Among the Nacirema help us understand how an American cultural worldview influences and informs our view of other cultures and how American culture in turn is viewed by other cultures?

References

Berry, J. W., Phinney, J. S., Sam, D. L., & Vedder, P. (2006). Immigrant Youth: Acculturation, Identity, and Adaptation.Applied Psychology,55(3), 303-332.

Oberg, K. (1960). Cultural shock: adjustment to new cultural environments.Practical Anthropology,7(4). 177-182.

Sam, D. & Berry, J. (2010). Acculturation: When individuals and groups of different cultural backgrounds meet.Perspectives on Psychological Science,5(4), 472-481.