Bjork's book is in many ways a primer on the realities of fieldwork, from setting up house to participating in the work of the village women to finding ways to communicate across cultural divides. It describes how this outsider achieved a gradual and provisional inclusion in the community, an inclusion represented by her participation in a traditional women's circle dance. The book also depicts the effects of modernization and tourism on a society that remained closed to the West well into this century, while offering comparative insights about wider South Asian cultures.
The author's lyrical, frequently moving descriptions of everyday life guide her readers through the stages of her cultural apprenticeship. In the end, as Bjork joins the circle dance, she is a stranger to the community still, but a familiar and welcome one.
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780801485923
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication Date: 04-09-1999
Pages: 240
Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range: 18 Years
About the Author
Katharine Bjork Guneratne lives in St. Paul. She has taught history at the University of Minnesota and Macalester College.