Description:
Different from anthropology, ethnography is the study of how cultures dynamically change over time while being mindful of intercultural relationships within these civilizations. Ethnographers take the time to observe how people react to these changes, and how the differences of their cultures impact the civilians that live there. As researchers collect data from areas of interests, there is hope that this holistic style of study sheds light to dilemmas that are unrecognized; therefore, an underlying question comes to surface. What do changes in culture manifest? Transforming Displaced Women in Sudan by Rogaia Mustafa Abharaf is an ethnography that brings attention to the mistreatment, inconsideration, …show more content…
My favorite chapter in the book is chapter two, because it touches all bases of the lifestyle within Khartoum, except for the gendered rituals such as female circumcision. It was sad to read that civil war between men forced women and children to take on a nomadic lifestyle. The examples provided on pages sixty and sixty-one put me in better perspective about Sudan. “I don’t have money that covers my needs and living expenses. I suffer every day. First, there is no transportation where we live. You have to walk so far to be able to find transportation. Even the weather is unmerciful. It is causing a lot of suffering” (Mustafa 60-61). I could not imagine having to live life with drastic changes such as these. This situation reminds me of Haiti after the earthquake. My people had to find a way to survive daily with no government, and the assistance received was little to known because people are still struggling to this day. My favorite case in the study was the strive for education by Karak Maylik Nyok. I admired her constant pursuit to learn despite the limited access, trials, and tribulations that she experienced. This made me think about the United States, and how we need to do better. People in countries around the world go as far as die to obtain knowledge to better themselves, but Americans take this privilege for granted. This bothers me. We have decent education systems in our states. There should be no excuse for students not to excel with this blessing. It was disheartening to read that rape was used as weapon during civil war. I cannot respect a person that defiles women. Women need to be loved, respected, and protected. Committing this crime causes females to feel unwanted, lost, and victimized. Rape has played a role in most Sudanese women lives, because they feel that their families will not accept them anymore. To add to that, the conflict between Northern and Southern Sudan, with their religious and