Participant Observation

It occurred to me just now, while reading the blog regarding last week's class, that we can only experience our own experience. And, sometimes those experiences leave us at a loss for words. Last week, Mary relayed the story of being identified (in China) as simply an "American." Doug described the look on her face as one of "joy." But, Mary really didn't agree with that. Now, I did not get the impression at all that she is ashamed or offended by being called an American. However, I did understand, after watching and listening her struggle to articulate how she felt, that she just couldn't quite find the right words to convey her meaning. The bottom line is that she is an American by birth, but she is African-American by heritage. These two factors (at the very least) are the basis of her cultural experience. And, since I am white, southern baptist, rurally raised and a parent, I have a different perspective of the world.

The readings for this week (Jones and Deveare-Smith) really tie in well with the discussion we had last week. Perhaps this is why we all had such a difficult time articulating and agreeing. We're all working from a different perspective because we're all from different cultural backgrounds. Granted some are similar and some more similar than others, but none are exactly the same. Jones essay, in particular, says it best, I think. The performance piece, the total experience she describes from this performance project is one that allows us to experience a small sampling of another culture. I do not think, nor would I ever profess, to fully understand Yoruba culture. I can only be a participant observer. I can experience a small part of the lifestyle but to put meaning to it, I have to connect it with my own experiences, which in a religious or spiritual capacity, are Christian. Hmmm. That seems like a bit of stretch to begin with. But, I would certainly be open to the experience and I would anticipate some type of enrichment from that experience.

My 19 year old Nephew is visiting us right now. He was born and raised in South Florida and, quite frankly, I think the boy is in complete culture shock. He is amazed at how different it is here. He is far less tense, he laughs far more than I have ever seen him do so in his native environment and he's starting to put many aspects of his life in perspective. The point is that this "new" experience with the Kentucky branch of his family is revealing a whole new world of experience to him. But, it's only working because he was OPEN to the experience. It's not that he wants to forget his life before coming here. He was just ready to incorporate something new.

Much like Mary, it's not that she wants to forget that she has the rich heritage of African-American. But, she was open to being identified "American" because she was open to something new. She experienced a small sampling of Chinese culture and performance because she was open to something new. I doubt that Mary would ever think that she could so immerse herself in Chinese culture that people would begin identifiying her as a native of China, but certainly the experience of participant observer on the China trip has broadened her perspective of herself and those around her.

And, no, I don't necessarily think we all have to travel to another country to glean such experiences. My nephew is a prime example of cultural differences and experience opportunities just a few states away. Actually, if you think about it, we're all participant observers. We make daily observations, interact and learn from each other. We're actors, afterall. I think we may just take our status as participant observers for granted until we make a huge geographical change.

Why is it so hard for us to articulate our experiences sometimes? Last week in voice class, Dennis told us the story of how he learned to mask his voice and, consequently, his identity, in order to get what he wanted. As a result, we begin to conform to the cultural codes surrounding us that are deemed acceptable. We lose some of our ability to communicate because we mask ourselves. We hide who we are. So, is it any wonder that we are frustrated, afraid or at a complete loss for words when trying to communicate with someone from a culture that is slightly (or vastly) different than our own? I think that oftentimes, our experience is so personal that words fail to describe it. And, as actors, that's when we do what Anna Deveare-Smith does. We observe, imitate, copy. That's the closest we can come to the other person's experience and, as human beings, perhaps that's all that's really required. Just the basics of human experience.