Learning Journal #26

With the reality that Ghana is less than a month away (AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!) my mind is starting to reel about what it is actually going to be like. But mostly, right now, my mind is reeling about my proposal.

As I mentioned in my last entry, I switched back to my original project-- nationalism and dance. I've very excited about this switch and in rewriting my proposal, I can see the ideas maturing a lot. It is a really cool experience to go through... just when I think I've reached a deep level of the ideology backing my thesis, I discover a new journal article that sends me deeper into the chasm of anthropological theory. :) For instance, I've been reading up A LOT on dance ethnographies and the ideas pushing it forward into the front-lines of anthropological work. In one of the articles I read recently, the author posed the question of how dance even fits in with the normal studies of social movements and other things that anthropologists study. Here was his answer:

"Kealiinohomoku has talked about the "nonart"of dance. Hanna claims "that dance is linked to the life of a society by affecting cultural patterns, tension management, goal attainment, adaptation, and integration" (4, p. 96). Royce has investigated the social and political aspects of dance in plural societies (36) and dance as an indicator of social class and identity (35). Kaeppler has examined dance as an integral part of social structure (12) and as a surface manifestation of deep structure (13). Others have recognized the importance of dance in ritual, and studies
in progress on the ethnography of performance and on event analysis also
promise new insights." (Kaeppler 1978: 47).

There is SO much to be learned from dance... and I'm just scratching the surface with nationalism.

What do I need to be working on? I realized today that I really need to be thinking of questions that I want to be asking!! (cause I'm surely going to need more than 25!)

Learning Journal #24

This week in class we talked about CULTURE SHOCK. I almost raised my hand several times to make a comment (though I didn't... who knows why) and so I'd like to share my thoughts here. Ashley posed the question: "Do you think biculturalism is possible in three months?" Most people in the class said no. I SAY YES! I think it is... and I don't think it's naive to think so.

First, we must work at redefining what "biculturalism" actually is. From what the readings said, and what we discussed in class.... biculturalism was defined as such: "being able to make a joke in another language/setting", "knowing what is going on 100% of the time", "finally 'getting the hand of it'", etc..... essentially, it was the idea that you completely inhabit a new culture, becoming a new you. This I disagree with. I think biculturalism doesn't mean you know what you are doing 100% of the time, I don't think it means that you completely become a new person within a culture...It's not a bi-polar/ split personality thing (as seen in the picture above).

I simply think it means that you become comfortable being yourself in a new place. You have found how the core of you fits into this new context.

My dear friend Hailey King and I were talking about this very subject last night. We both agreed that the purpose of cultural immersion (with the ultimate goal of biculturalism) is not to change who you are, but to become more yourself than ever before. There is something to be said about "going native" and experiencing life in that way-- but don't abandon who you are in the process.

To put this into a real life example, one might argue that the missionary world is a totally different culture. When I arrived on my mission, I felt the need to become someone different... to become a missionary. In order to do this, I needed to dress like a missionary, talk like a missionary, eat like a missionary (I think you get the picture) and morph into that; completely abandoning anything that resembled "corrine", instead of this new "sister christison". So I did that: did I experience biculturalism? NO! It wasn't until I realized that in order to become a missionary, to experience that culture, that I needed to bring my whole self into it, did I experience biculturalism. The last year of my mission I felt more like a missionary than the first 6 months because I was taking myself, and growing/learning/being comfortable with this new context, this new culture. I don't know if this makes sense to any of you reading, but it makes sense to me (and it did to Hailey).

So to go back to the original purpose of this explanation, with this new definition for biculturalism.... doesn't it sound possible in three months? YES! I believe that when I go to Ghana.... and when I put my whole self into this culture, trying to learn and grow, that I will experience biculturalism. I feel it's possible, at least for me, because I already feel like Ghana is my home. I've spent my college career (and especially this semester) reading about Africa, learning about their culture, looking at pictures, watching documentaries, learning their history, etc.... I KNOW GHANA!! I'm learning the language, I've studied the Ashanti culture, I've become friends with many Ghanaians... and most importantly, I LOVE GHANA!!! Seriously, I love it. And the fact that I will be there in one month exactly makes my heart leap and grow ten times its natural size.

Oh, ps. I've gone back to my original project about nationalism and dance. So, be sure to keep on the lookout for updates on how that is going! I'll be posting my final proposal on the blog... I'll let you know where.

Learning Journal #23

Overall, I'm starting to finally get the concept that I'm supposed to be digging deeper in these learning journals-- truly expressing my inner thoughts about my project and how it is developing.
Andrew asked me how my course contracts will contribute to my experience. Well, there is really only one thing: for the dance class I'll be taking, I have to record (whether video or written) 10 dances... that is ideal and yes, it can be lessened if time doesn't permit. BUT I must do more than just record them, I must discover what they mean, where they are from and then..... drumroll... I, Corrine Christison, must LEARN them!!! YES! I MUST LEARN 10 GHANAIAN DANCES!!! How will that affect my experience, heck... that will be my cultural experience!

I'm so excited for this opportunity because that is a large part as to why I wanted to go to Ghana and study dance. Dance is such a HUGE part of my life-- when I dance, it is one of the few times I feel truly free; and I know for Africans, it means largely the same thing! Already I feel a kinship with these people on so many levels-- dance just being one of them.

Apart from that, further research must be done so I can get more sources regarding dance, African dance, and expressionism. (Now, for those of you who are sad about my not doing nationalism anymore... don't worry! That will still be something I am looking for in what Ghanaians are expressing while they dance.... all is not lost!)

___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___ . . ___

This past week in class we talked about how we label/ categorize things. I have always been very aware of how I categorize my life.... because I'm actually insanely particular about it. Because of my need to label things, I've been able to see the good AND bad of it. It's good because it helps us group things in our lives, see what things have in common; yet at the same time, it's bad because it limits the potential. For example, if I label someone as a friend, that limits their potential of ever becoming more than that; if I label something as weird, it'll forever be weird.

I must be conscious of how I label things in Ghana... I must make sure to label my host family in a proper way so I don't ignore them like my roommates... a different country calls for different categories.

Learning Journal #22

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: CORRINE CHANGES HER PROJECT!! EXTRA! EXTRA!

After talking with Margaret (who I'm sure talked with Ashley about my proposal), it was suggested that I choose either nationalism OR dance. I chose DANCE!!!!! So my new focus will just be on how dance is a form of expression. I will be studying the culture in Wiamoase, and through participant observation and interviews, I will be able to explore their world of dance and see what it is that they love about it.

The background for my project is pretty clear: Dance is used to express the inner workings of one's soul. I've gotten some really good information out of my textbook for Dance 260 entitledHistory of the Dance in Art and Education. The book opens with this quote:

"Dance is a nearly universal behavior with a history probably as old as humanity itself... Dance is embedded in our being.... The dynamics of dance, culture and society are inseparable" (11)"

All I know is that dance is truly embedded in my being and I know that it is in Ghanaian's blood too. I wanted to show you some pictures to illustrate the different emotions or ideas that can be expressed through dance:

1. The first picture represents EMOTION: We had a modern dance song during my apartment's "10 minutes of dancing in honor of 10/10/10". You can tell by the way we are positioned, even the looks on our faces that we had a particular emotion in mind (some good, some bad).

2. The second picture represents HISTORY: This is one of my companions from my mission. Dancing with her allowed us to revisit our friendship, and all the good times we had on the mission. Sometimes dance can be used to revisit the past, and reembody those same feelings.

3. The last picture represents COMMUNICATION: This was one of the first outings with my roommates and it was a blast! We were able to communicate with each other-- our happiness that we were roommates, our enjoyment with each others company-- simply through our dancing together. It was incredible!

So see.... dance is used to express so many things and I'm really excited to go to Ghana and ask the people of Wiamoase what they express when dancing!

Learning Journal #21

Reviewing my IRB proposal last Friday was extremely helpful! (Thanks Jay, Hailey, and Elizabeth for your suggestions). One thing Jay asked me was why I was using school-aged kids... and if I should only use them? Basically, he wanted to know my reasoning behind who I was using.

Here's my answer: I seriously considered only interviewing school kids but then I realized that the older we get, the clearer our identity becomes. Teenagers are easily influenced by their surroundings. This will be great when studying the dance environment but on the other hand, I need to talk with people who already have a solid identity. That is where the older groups come in-- they know who they are.

Another point that was brought up in my IRB reviewing session was the problem of being able to convey my thoughts onto paper. This has been a really good experience- this prep class- in formulating ideas and being able to articulate them. I haven't been the best at it but I truly hope I am improving!

_____ ________ _________ _________ ___________ _________ _________ __

So the IRB proposal will be sent off on Friday, hopefully to be accepted (hey, at least accepted with changes!) This is just one more step in me going to Ghana becoming a reality in my mind.... I get my shots tomorrow and that will be even worse reality shock!

The closer my trip becomes, the more anxious and excited my heart gets; heck, even writing right now, I can feel my heart beginning to race! Everything seems to be lining up... the IRB proposal, my project, even my language skills (we had our midterm in TWI today and I think I did okay.... We're all starting to get the hang of the language). I know I still have a LONG way to go but the readings will continue, course contracts will be made and questions formed.

GHANA.... you better be ready for me cause I'm a-coming in ....... 50 DAYS!!! AHH!!!! (I'm going to see if I can start a countdown on this blog!)

Learning Journal #20

I first want to start off with a plug to GO SEE ASHLEY!! Seriously fellow "prep course" students, she was EXTREMELY helpful! (and plus, she's a delight to talk to)

Anyways, it is because of Ashley that I was able to think more clearly of what I imagine my days to be like, and what I will be looking for on a day-to-day basis. In order for your metholodigies to work, you must know WHAT you are looking for. And I think I finally figured out what I'm looking for:

I want to know how dance provides an environment for promoting nationalism. In other words, what about a dance party makes people identify more with being a Ghanaian? What about the atomsphere in which dances are learned disconnects students from their ethnic identity? It is these questions that I should be asking, and those connections that I should be looking for.

This train of thought led me to think about my interviews... what questions I want to be asking, who I will be interviewing, and where they will take place. I decided that FOCUS GROUPS would be really beneficial for gathering data about the environment that dance creates. Thanks to Kim (who went to Ghana three Falls ago), I now know I can/should go to the high schools to find my focus groups. It is in these focus groups that I'll be able to do my free listings as well!

For my general interviews, I realized that I need to be thinking more about what data I want and then forming my questions around that, as opposed to the other way around.


Needless to say, my metholodigies continue to take shape the more concrete my theories become.

Learning Journal #19:

GOOD NEWS! I HAVE A COURSE CONTRACT!!! YAY!!!! So, it's not with my faculty mentor (though I do know who I will use for that as well...) but it is with the wonderful KAREN JENSEN. She is a dance professor here at BYU who went to Ghana several years ago to teach dance to a deaf school in Mampong.

PS. Mampong is literally right next to Wiamoase so it seems like a perfect fit. She is going to help me know how to analyze the dances I see (what I should be looking for, methods I could use, etc). And the best part about it? She was excited too! :)

Now that I have that all figured out, I was able to do some more reading on nationalism. A really fascinating topic this is turning out to be. What I read this week (and more importantly, how it applies to my project) is about the history of nationalism... what factors cause this ideology to appear. One event Anderson pointed out was the Exploration Age of Europe. *cough, cough* also known as COLONIALISM *cough, cough* With this age of expansion came new ways of living... but also a superiority complex. With people to compare to, Europeans developed this idea of "ours" versus "theirs"; "ours is the better way". You can see how this started to create a division between territories (or countries).

Another thing that caused division was the solidity of borders. Before this time, most countries had very fluid boundaries, allowing easy access into the country. But then, kings gained more power, borders became less flexible, thus creating a stronger sense of nationality. I was pondering on Ghana and how before Europe came, there were simply ethnic groups and their lands, though the borders were pretty fluid, not well defined at all. But then, some people drew lines on a map saying "This is Ghana". Now, the people within those lines are attached to a country-- one country.


Anyhoo, that is what I learned this week... I'm really excited about the progress I am making in regards to national identity and trying to piece it into Ghana's history. By doing this, I will be able to gain a better understanding of what I will be looking for when I am there.