Another instance in which Fernea’s own ethnocentrism becomes her form of an etic perspective is when she has Selma and some women over to her home for the first time. While there the women insult Fernea in many ways, from her cooking, to referring to her as lazy, incompetent or unintelligent. Fernea laments at how she can’t believe she would be upset that “...a group of illiterate tribal ladies.” insulted her; she grows angry at the way they mock her for being different, feeling that she is undeserving of their ridicule. Fernea originally does not understand why these women only care about wifely duties and comes across as believing herself above it all. However this changes when she realizes the pride and power that comes with being good at duties such…show more content… Although they go about presenting them differently, both Fernea and Bourgois utilize emic and etic perspectives to explain the cultures they study. Fernea, as a civilian rather than a trained anthropologist, often presents her etic perspective from an ethnocentric viewpoint. Fernea at the beginning of the ethnography, draws on her own opinions, ideas, and lifestyle to judge the lifestyles and customs of the El Nahran women. Before she is immersed fully in the culture Fernea is distracted by her own feelings toward these customs based in a western perspective. However her etic interpretation still remains valuable as it presents a common belief system held by most americans when thinking about middle eastern cultures. Many americans see their customs as oppressive toward women but after getting to know the women of El Nahra Fernea comes to realize they have a power of their own, though it is created differently than her own. The women of El Nahra create power through the comfort and mystery of the abayah and through their skill at wifely duties such as housekeeping, and cooking. These powers help the
