There are two major things I want to talk about in this blog: my topic and my methods. I'll do the latter first.
Recently in my Anthro 442 class we've been talking about sampling. We've discussed things such as 'what is the appropriate sampling size', 'how to achieve a purely random sample'; we've even delved into standard deviation and probability. This has been such a wonderful thing to talk about. It's gotten me seriously considering a questionnaire of sort for other communities around Wiamose. After all, I can only generalize my data to pertain to all of rural Ghana if I have reason to believe that it does indeed pertain to all of rural Ghana. The only way I'll be able to know is to test my ideas on other communities.
Along those same lines, I was able to talk with my professor, Jacob Hickman, to figure out the best sampling size, etc for my project. We looked on GoogleEarth and decided that because of the satellite imagery, I might be able to pre-select houses to go to-- get a good random sampling of houses as well as villages. This has been a new addition to my project that makes me VERY EXCITED!!!!! I feel like my methods are starting to take shape, and that my project is becoming real.
Now for the first thing I wanted to talk about: my topic. I've had this secret panic growing inside of me that my project was too general; but then I couldn't narrow it down because what if I missed the mark and my project is way too specific. So, as mentioned earlier, I went to speak with Jacob about this very thing. After speaking with him, my fears were calmed. He thought my topic was great: (just in case I haven't updated it yet... my new topic is.....) How does the political push toward a national identity affect dance in rural Ghana? He said it was general enough to allow some leeway for shifting from either more political ideology to dance ideology. He also seemed pleased with the political implications it would bring for other disciplines besides dance. In other words, this project will not only answer the question to the changes in dance since Independence, but it will also address the political changes as well.
So there you have it.... new updates on my project, and on my methods. Its now 12:42am..... and if I keep writing about Ghana (and my project), I think I'll get too excited and it will take me forever to calm down! So goodbye for now..... I'm pretty positive I'll be writing again soon.
:)
Showing posts with label question. Show all posts
Showing posts with label question. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
LEARNING JOURNAL #9
On Friday, Andrew had us do an activity that I really enjoyed. We had to make a web chart for our project question. It really helped me see all the aspects of my question and what would be the best way to approach it.
For example, when I made the clouds (which represented the units of analysis... which age groups I'm going to focus on), it made it more clear exactly why I wanted to focus on the oldest and younger generations. It is through the oldest generations that I'll be able to gather history, it is they who have witnessed most of the changing over time. But with the younger generation, I'll be able to understand where dance is now, thus being able to see the result of this change. I also added a question that I could ask the parentals if need be: "Do you feel the need to teach your children traditional dances? What would be the value?" I was so glad to see this connection because it really helped clear up the direction I wanted to take in the interviews, what kind of information I would be looking for.
The second thing I realized happened while I was talking with Deidre and she asked me how I knew that there were changes; and several other questions along those lines. As I was explaining to her all the things to look for like education, dance moves, etc... I realized that I don't really have much of a need to study the OVERALL CHANGING of dance in rural Ghana. That has been done, and it is obvious that it has happened. What I need to do is pick on possible reason as to why, and focus on that. While talking with Deidre, I decided to focus on this shift after colonialism from ethnic pride to national pride. I want to focus on how that specific movement in Ghanaian arts shifted the focus of dance from one of spirituality to history.
This new focus will give my project more clarity and really falls in line with a lot of the sources I have already research (which is an added bonus!)
oh ps! Michelle, Deidre and I were able to go over to my friend Akramah's home for dinner on Saturday. What a wonderful experience!! It was so nice because we were able to talk about current Ghana issues and how their culture is now. He also gave us some really practical advice like "be careful how your face reacts when they hand you some water... if you make a questioning face, they might get offended". And plus, I learned something EXTREMELY valuable: I LOVE RED-RED!!!!!!!!!!
:)
For example, when I made the clouds (which represented the units of analysis... which age groups I'm going to focus on), it made it more clear exactly why I wanted to focus on the oldest and younger generations. It is through the oldest generations that I'll be able to gather history, it is they who have witnessed most of the changing over time. But with the younger generation, I'll be able to understand where dance is now, thus being able to see the result of this change. I also added a question that I could ask the parentals if need be: "Do you feel the need to teach your children traditional dances? What would be the value?" I was so glad to see this connection because it really helped clear up the direction I wanted to take in the interviews, what kind of information I would be looking for.
The second thing I realized happened while I was talking with Deidre and she asked me how I knew that there were changes; and several other questions along those lines. As I was explaining to her all the things to look for like education, dance moves, etc... I realized that I don't really have much of a need to study the OVERALL CHANGING of dance in rural Ghana. That has been done, and it is obvious that it has happened. What I need to do is pick on possible reason as to why, and focus on that. While talking with Deidre, I decided to focus on this shift after colonialism from ethnic pride to national pride. I want to focus on how that specific movement in Ghanaian arts shifted the focus of dance from one of spirituality to history.
This new focus will give my project more clarity and really falls in line with a lot of the sources I have already research (which is an added bonus!)
oh ps! Michelle, Deidre and I were able to go over to my friend Akramah's home for dinner on Saturday. What a wonderful experience!! It was so nice because we were able to talk about current Ghana issues and how their culture is now. He also gave us some really practical advice like "be careful how your face reacts when they hand you some water... if you make a questioning face, they might get offended". And plus, I learned something EXTREMELY valuable: I LOVE RED-RED!!!!!!!!!!
:)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Learning Journal #8
Okay, so my last journal entry was lame (I know), but I needed to express my feelings so then I could get to work! I've been really productive the last day or two in trying to read many more articles. Two of the articles really, really helped me!
"However did they help you, Corrine?"
Well, that is a very good question. African dance has been a very well researched topic, especially in Ghana. This I was worried about and it seems like my topic-- the changing of dance in relation to post-colonialism in Ghana has been researched. The two articles I read today not only allowed me to see what was already written on this subject but it brought up some questions.
Their titles are (just so you know they are real articles): "Developing the Arts for Development: Perspectives on Ghana" by Sandra E. Greene. AND "Africa's New Traditional Dance" by Judith Lynne Hanna.
The change in Ghanaian dance has already been studied and the conclusions were similar to what I had been thinking: that is was colonialism, education, religion, etc that were all factors in changing dance ideology. how Hanna did focus on Africa as a whole therefore, I felt like some of her conclusions might not apply to Ghana; this is one of my thoughts, I could look at what she concluded and see if it applies to Ghana.
It felt like she focused on more urban areas, ones with lots of Western influences... different from Wiamose. The community in Wiamose, from what I understand, still has a lot of traditional roots. The Western influences aren't as strong. The way Hanna wrote her article made her conclusions sound as if colonialism was the root of ALL changes in dance: it was the Western religions, education systems, transportation systems that caused the major shift. Honestly, from what I've read/know about Ghana... I"m not sure that really applies to Ghana.
However, the first article I mentioned, by Greene, was very insightful in basic history of Ghana since it's independence in 1957. The arts went through a drastic with Nkrumah and than again with Rawlings. The government was getting too involved basically.
Anyhoo, sorry.... this is becoming too much of a review. The ideas/questions I derived from my readings were:
1. perhaps I could focus on the Ghanaian culture versus the specific ethnic culture in Wiamose-- are they competing with one another? have they blended nicely?
This will still go along with the effects that the Ghanaian Independence had on dance but just looking at it in a more specific light to the rural areas. I know that was something I needed to get more specific on because a lot of my readings either had to do with urban areas or with Africa in general.
2. I've been toying on the idea of changing the emphasis of my study.... so that I could study something that hasn't been researched before but I realized two things:
a. that I still haven't found too much about Ghana specifically, so I will be providing very specific information not just about Ghana but about Wiamose and dance in a rural town.
b. I still have questions about how independence affected all of Ghana, that haven't been answered in my research. so..... that's a good sign.
3. In one of the earlier learning journals, I mentioned that my readings have affected how I want to conduct my research. How did they? I'm going to have to interview A LOT more people than I originally thought... and I think I'm going to have to interview the oldest generations. This widened my age range as well as my methods for extracting information from them.... let's just say that the older generations aren't as open and willing to talk as the younger generations are... and they speak MUCH less English; that means I'm going to need to practice my Twi A LOT A LOT and keep in mind that I'll need a translator.
4. ???
to be continued....
"However did they help you, Corrine?"
Well, that is a very good question. African dance has been a very well researched topic, especially in Ghana. This I was worried about and it seems like my topic-- the changing of dance in relation to post-colonialism in Ghana has been researched. The two articles I read today not only allowed me to see what was already written on this subject but it brought up some questions.
Their titles are (just so you know they are real articles): "Developing the Arts for Development: Perspectives on Ghana" by Sandra E. Greene. AND "Africa's New Traditional Dance" by Judith Lynne Hanna.
The change in Ghanaian dance has already been studied and the conclusions were similar to what I had been thinking: that is was colonialism, education, religion, etc that were all factors in changing dance ideology. how Hanna did focus on Africa as a whole therefore, I felt like some of her conclusions might not apply to Ghana; this is one of my thoughts, I could look at what she concluded and see if it applies to Ghana.
It felt like she focused on more urban areas, ones with lots of Western influences... different from Wiamose. The community in Wiamose, from what I understand, still has a lot of traditional roots. The Western influences aren't as strong. The way Hanna wrote her article made her conclusions sound as if colonialism was the root of ALL changes in dance: it was the Western religions, education systems, transportation systems that caused the major shift. Honestly, from what I've read/know about Ghana... I"m not sure that really applies to Ghana.
However, the first article I mentioned, by Greene, was very insightful in basic history of Ghana since it's independence in 1957. The arts went through a drastic with Nkrumah and than again with Rawlings. The government was getting too involved basically.
Anyhoo, sorry.... this is becoming too much of a review. The ideas/questions I derived from my readings were:
1. perhaps I could focus on the Ghanaian culture versus the specific ethnic culture in Wiamose-- are they competing with one another? have they blended nicely?
This will still go along with the effects that the Ghanaian Independence had on dance but just looking at it in a more specific light to the rural areas. I know that was something I needed to get more specific on because a lot of my readings either had to do with urban areas or with Africa in general.
2. I've been toying on the idea of changing the emphasis of my study.... so that I could study something that hasn't been researched before but I realized two things:
a. that I still haven't found too much about Ghana specifically, so I will be providing very specific information not just about Ghana but about Wiamose and dance in a rural town.
b. I still have questions about how independence affected all of Ghana, that haven't been answered in my research. so..... that's a good sign.
3. In one of the earlier learning journals, I mentioned that my readings have affected how I want to conduct my research. How did they? I'm going to have to interview A LOT more people than I originally thought... and I think I'm going to have to interview the oldest generations. This widened my age range as well as my methods for extracting information from them.... let's just say that the older generations aren't as open and willing to talk as the younger generations are... and they speak MUCH less English; that means I'm going to need to practice my Twi A LOT A LOT and keep in mind that I'll need a translator.
4. ???
to be continued....
Friday, January 14, 2011
Learning Journal #4
This is going to be a shorter blog post because most of my free time to work on this will be this weekend but enough excuses, I have had several thoughts this week.
One has to do with the Ghanaian independence. The first leader of Ghana, Kwame Nkruma, really promoted two things in Ghana: unity and education. He stressed a uniting of all the ethnic groups in Ghana, living with one another and learning about one another. Could this blend of culture cause confusion among the younger generations as to what their own dances represent? The second thing he stressed, education, had a really big impact (or at least I think so). So, Nkruma really wanted the people of Ghana to never forget their heritage, so learning the traditional dances were really important.
Could perhaps this shift from "just knowing the dances because they are ingrained in your very way of life" to "learn the dance as a matter of history, almost like an artifact" be one of the main reasons for the changes in African dance... or the perception of it?
Andrew wanted me to be a little deeper in my analysis. I guess in light of my recent connection between the independence and the education of dance, I might need to focus my research question a little more. Perhaps pick a focus, something I want to test and see if that was the reason for change in Ghana (or it has little to do with it).
I've been hesitant to do this though in case there is not enough to study on this subject. Heck, I'm going to be in Ghana for three months, and I have to write my senior thesis on this-- I want to be able to have enough information. Perhaps I can simply have a sub question... or two.... or three.
I like these theories that I'm developing though (from my readings, talking with those who have been to Ghana or are Ghanaian, own random thoughts) because they are narrowing my search for literature; they are also affecting my methods... what questions I want to ask, who I need to talk with. (I'll put some of my new questions under "field development notes").
One has to do with the Ghanaian independence. The first leader of Ghana, Kwame Nkruma, really promoted two things in Ghana: unity and education. He stressed a uniting of all the ethnic groups in Ghana, living with one another and learning about one another. Could this blend of culture cause confusion among the younger generations as to what their own dances represent? The second thing he stressed, education, had a really big impact (or at least I think so). So, Nkruma really wanted the people of Ghana to never forget their heritage, so learning the traditional dances were really important.
Could perhaps this shift from "just knowing the dances because they are ingrained in your very way of life" to "learn the dance as a matter of history, almost like an artifact" be one of the main reasons for the changes in African dance... or the perception of it?
Andrew wanted me to be a little deeper in my analysis. I guess in light of my recent connection between the independence and the education of dance, I might need to focus my research question a little more. Perhaps pick a focus, something I want to test and see if that was the reason for change in Ghana (or it has little to do with it).
I've been hesitant to do this though in case there is not enough to study on this subject. Heck, I'm going to be in Ghana for three months, and I have to write my senior thesis on this-- I want to be able to have enough information. Perhaps I can simply have a sub question... or two.... or three.
I like these theories that I'm developing though (from my readings, talking with those who have been to Ghana or are Ghanaian, own random thoughts) because they are narrowing my search for literature; they are also affecting my methods... what questions I want to ask, who I need to talk with. (I'll put some of my new questions under "field development notes").
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Learning Journal #3
Man this has been a good week! First things first-- I learned, thanks to Akramah that words like "tribal" and "tribe" are offensive to most Ghanaians. He said that they were the words used by the British so... naturally, they have a bad connotation. He was so nice in one of his emails to say:
" If you're going to make mistakes, I'd rather you make them with me instead of when you're in Ghana."
I have a feeling I'm going to be making a lot of mistakes like that but hey, that is part of the learning process. The Twi class is also very helpful when it comes to things like that- what words are acceptable, what will cause offense. For instance, Millie told us that we must be SO CAREFUL that we address people according to their status... and to not confuse them. Sure, they may say "oh silly white girl" but I'd rather have them be impressed by how well I know their culture.
Besides learning logistics like that, I was able to spend a lot of time in the library this week reading. YAY!!! I'm really trying to read a lot on African dance in general... trying to get a feel for what the traditions are, what the motivation behind the dancing is. WHY? Well, if I want to study how dance in changing, I must know where it began.
One thing I've found interesting is that dance used to be taught in two ways: if you were a professional dancer, you would learn from a master dancer; if you were just a common member of the tribe (or "ethnic group"), you learned by observation. In Ghana it is the same way. So, in general, Africans never learned dances in a class setting-- like my ballet class I took all growing up. HOWEVER, in Ghana, there is now a University in Accra that has a DANCE MAJOR!
WAIT! I thought Africans didn't learn dance like that? And to learn modern/ballet along with your traditional African dancing?!?! Dance is definitely changing in the city. Now, some of my other research told me that Kumasi is still more rooted in the traditions of past Africa (more so than Accra) so will the same change be happening? I think so. Well, I hope so... it's what I want to base my whole project on. If you go to "field development notes", then you can see my question I want to focus on. I think there will be a case for it. At least, all my reading thus far tells me there will be. Studying it in a rural setting will really help me see how far this change is penetrating the more rural areas of Ghana.
Akramah gave me hope that yes, I CAN study this is Wiamose because he told me:
WHY even study this? Well..... honestly?...... All that I've read about African dance is so beautiful and poetic:
“the purpose is to communicate... for him and for his people, the dance is life!”
“thoroughly tired after a long day, they will not dance under
ordinary circumstances; but they cannot resist it when
there is some really good thing to celebrate"
See, dancing is so much more than movements of the body-- it's an expression of one's emotions. Nowhere is that more true than in Africa. Sure, teenagers and young adults learn the traditional dances... heck, they may even dance them BUT is it the same? Is that how they express their emotions or are they resulting to a different style of dance? Are they simply dancing their ancestral dances because it's tradition or are they dancing them because they believe it too? See! This is why it's so important that I thoroughly understand Ghanaian dance history... that I may know WHAT the traditional dances represent, and WHY they were danced in the first place.
" If you're going to make mistakes, I'd rather you make them with me instead of when you're in Ghana."
I have a feeling I'm going to be making a lot of mistakes like that but hey, that is part of the learning process. The Twi class is also very helpful when it comes to things like that- what words are acceptable, what will cause offense. For instance, Millie told us that we must be SO CAREFUL that we address people according to their status... and to not confuse them. Sure, they may say "oh silly white girl" but I'd rather have them be impressed by how well I know their culture.
Besides learning logistics like that, I was able to spend a lot of time in the library this week reading. YAY!!! I'm really trying to read a lot on African dance in general... trying to get a feel for what the traditions are, what the motivation behind the dancing is. WHY? Well, if I want to study how dance in changing, I must know where it began.
One thing I've found interesting is that dance used to be taught in two ways: if you were a professional dancer, you would learn from a master dancer; if you were just a common member of the tribe (or "ethnic group"), you learned by observation. In Ghana it is the same way. So, in general, Africans never learned dances in a class setting-- like my ballet class I took all growing up. HOWEVER, in Ghana, there is now a University in Accra that has a DANCE MAJOR!
WAIT! I thought Africans didn't learn dance like that? And to learn modern/ballet along with your traditional African dancing?!?! Dance is definitely changing in the city. Now, some of my other research told me that Kumasi is still more rooted in the traditions of past Africa (more so than Accra) so will the same change be happening? I think so. Well, I hope so... it's what I want to base my whole project on. If you go to "field development notes", then you can see my question I want to focus on. I think there will be a case for it. At least, all my reading thus far tells me there will be. Studying it in a rural setting will really help me see how far this change is penetrating the more rural areas of Ghana.
Akramah gave me hope that yes, I CAN study this is Wiamose because he told me:
"Traditional dance and music are still part of Ghanaian life although much of the significance has been lost in the marriage between western culture and traditional African culture. Again, it is in the rural areas that you can see some of the significance bearing on the youth."
WHY even study this? Well..... honestly?...... All that I've read about African dance is so beautiful and poetic:
“the purpose is to communicate... for him and for his people, the dance is life!”
“dancer is the connection between the earth and the sky”
“they give themselves up to dancing and feasting.
they are terribly excited at this time and cannot remain at rest"
they are terribly excited at this time and cannot remain at rest"
“thoroughly tired after a long day, they will not dance under
ordinary circumstances; but they cannot resist it when
there is some really good thing to celebrate"
See, dancing is so much more than movements of the body-- it's an expression of one's emotions. Nowhere is that more true than in Africa. Sure, teenagers and young adults learn the traditional dances... heck, they may even dance them BUT is it the same? Is that how they express their emotions or are they resulting to a different style of dance? Are they simply dancing their ancestral dances because it's tradition or are they dancing them because they believe it too? See! This is why it's so important that I thoroughly understand Ghanaian dance history... that I may know WHAT the traditional dances represent, and WHY they were danced in the first place.
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