Joel Manfredi
English 5870
Dr. De Vries
Commentary #4
I had never heard the word “liminal” before in my life, but now feel as though I know it well. “The point where one perception or condition blends or crosses over into another” (Webster Dictionary 784). More importantly, and along the lines of what I believe the theme of this writing is, a liminal period refers to a moment of shifting or change in one’s life. Sunstein refers to these moments as “coming-of-age rituals… initiation ceremonies, secluded retreats” (178). It is Sunstein’s claim that “liminality lurks everywhere is ethnographic research”(178) and I agree with her.
As ethnographers, we are studying something in a certain place, at a certain time, with certain subjects, that will never be the same again. And, by being a part of the study, the ethnographer becomes a part of the scene he or she is observing, thereby changing forever the lives of the participants in some way.
I love the view in this reading that we can write ethnographic research accurately while also making our findings interesting to read through our prose. Sunstein quotes Elliot Oring who says, “Lives are not transcriptions of events. They are artful and enduring symbolic constitutions which demand our engagement and identification” (179). Lives aren’t transcriptions of events and therefore shouldn’t be represented as such. It is the beautiful dance of the researcher to report their findings in a way that is alive and readable, while still remaining true to the research obtained.
Sunstein quotes Barbara Myerhoff many times in this piece, and it is because Myerhoff seems to have a good grasp on how she relates in her research. Myerhoff says, “it became clear that what was being written was from my eyes, with my personality, biases, history, and sensibility, and it seemed dishonest to exclude that” (182). It’s refreshing to hear an ethnographer state that not importing one’s own “biases” into their work would feel dishonest. Personally, it makes the area of ethnography approachable and not as scary, for lack of a better term.
After reading this next part of Sunstein’s essay, I found myself saying “Yes, yes,” to myself in my room. “Like a vivid and satisfying poem, a well-written ethnography needs artful design to allow the reader in”(189). How can someone become truly engaged with facts and figures and numerical data if they have nothing emotional to grasp while reading? When we, as people who appreciate the written and spoken word, read a “vivid and satisfying poem” aren’t we moved? Don’t we feel a sense of calm in this world, as if we understand just a little more than we did a moment ago? This could all just be a personal feeling, but Sunstein goes on to say this about ethnographic writing and how it need to maintain “liminal tensions.”
“Finally, we must employ our knowledge of the writer’s craft as we choose aesthetic means to represent what we have studied” (189). I couldn’t agree more. We had better employ our knowledge of the writer’s craft or it’s my belief that nobody will be engaged upon reading our research. It is inevitable that the writer’s voice will come out in their ethnographic research, so why not make that voice one that grabs ahold of the reader?
Very nice, I was going to look “liminal” up myself, and you saved me the trouble. I have heard the word before, and thought I knew what it meant, but was unclear on exactly what was meant in context. Like everything else, the work of an ethnographer is fiction…at least to a point, because notes and memories are not experiences, and even that level of specificity can be lost in the translation to language. However, by employing the craft of rhetoric in an effectiv manner, the “truth” of the situation can be revealed to the reader in a way that is arresting and memorable. I just try to remember that everyone has their own truth, and while I try to be “true” to the “truths” of my subject, it is important to frame my work in the “truths” that I hold to. Some of those are bred into me culturally, and some I have adopted, and all of them conspire to frame my vision and opinion of the situation I am observing at a given time. I also found myself sitting here in the yard, in my “far-seeing place,” and saying “Yes! aloud to the big dog, and the Chiuaha, who were sharing that space with me.
A well written summary of Sunstein’s essay. I had a similar understanding of her work, but you wrote about it in a much clearer fashion. I am still struggling as a writer and my thoughts get confused easily as I try to convey what I want to say to my reader. How do you keep your writing so clear and to the point?
I don’t know if I do that… it sure doesn’t feel like it sometimes, but I appreciate the kind words, Mike. I think I get confused if I try and respond to many different aspects of a reading. I have an easier time responding to what interests me and leaving out the rest…. for what it’s worth..