Image source
Anthropology is awesome and awe-inspiring. It is our history, language, traditions, diet, temperament, ancestors, art, values, disorders, mythologies, literature, education, families, enemies, perceptions, biases, cliques, wealth, biology, pollution, technology, medicine... It is all absolutely fascinating. (Well, except for microliths, which are momentarily interesting but quickly become tedious.)
We are the products of not only our personal histories or our cultural traditions, but of the entire history of life on Earth. It always blows my mind to step outside my bubble and try to gain some perspective.
To that end, I'm embarking on a small, casual ethnographic project about the culture of heavy metal music (fans, mostly). Here's the general plan for future posts on this topic:
I'll begin by reposting an earlier piece about cognitive linguistics, in which I confronted some of my own biases and ethnocentrism about metal culture. This also describes the genesis of my current research.
I'm going to do some background reading (and listening) and will post some highlights and links from that research.
I've conducted several informal interviews with various members of the culture, and will post those.
I will be attending my very first metal concert, and I really look forward to that participant observation experience. I plan to write at least two pieces following the concert: one to describe the experience, and another to share my conclusions about the culture in general and how that experience influenced my perceptions. (Teaser: It's possible that this piece will include a photo of this Anthropologist incognito!)
One pitfall of ethnography is that it is a snapshot of a moment in time. Culture is constantly evolving. The ethnographer's experience is subjective, and in my case, the observation is limited to a very small slice of metal culture. I will try to be objective and accurate. I expect this to be an intensely fun project. I hope you will enjoy reading about it as much as I will enjoy the research and writing!
Here's a historical documentary to whet your appetite (slightly NSFW).
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Nikki Stern
Greg Correll
Amanda Gulledge
marytkelly
Indiana_Joe
Lainey
Salon.com
Comments
It should be a lot of fun!