I believe the Peace Corps is full of such experiences, but I am not sure how
well documented they are. One comes to mind about getting a whole community
to dig wells (with the intent to save the hour walk down to the river every
day). Once they were finished, the women filled them with rocks because they
didn't want to lose thier social time together --- when they all walk down
to the river together for the morning.
Elizabeth Kelly
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Farruggio [mailto:pfarr@uclink4.berkeley.edu]
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 2:43 PM
To: xmca
Cc: psn@csf.colorado.edu
Subject: Cross-cultural evaluation blunders
Would anybody like to contribute more examples? Send to me, and I'll post
to the Evaluation list
Thanks,
Pete Farruggio
-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Davidson [SMTP:Jane.Davidson@WMICH.EDU]
>Sender: American Evaluation Association Discussion List
>
>
>"I've been looking for a good example (preferably from evaluation) where
>one or more evaluators or researchers have gone into an unfamiliar
>cultural context and, due to their preconceptions/lack of understanding
>of the culture, have missed something really fundamental and ended up
>drawing erroneous conclusions. I feel sure there must be a really
>classic example of this out there, preferably one that is well known.
>Can anyone help?"
>From: Thurman Williams <thurmanw@uark.edu>
>Anthropology has several, the "Green Revolution" in Mexico in the 70's (the
>corn developed by U.S. researchers was horrible for tortillas), there was a
>case in Australia involving toilet use by aboriginal women working in a
>factory (aboriginal women would not use them for fear of getting pregnant,
>leading to MORE health problems), "Shakespeare in the Bush," is a great
>one.
>
>Marvin Harris at the University of Florida is a great resource.
>
>
>
>Thurman Williams
>Field Director
>
>
>Survey Research Center
>123 Hotz Hall
>University of Arkansas
>Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
>501.575.5589
>501.575.4222
>thurmanw@uark.edu <mailto:thurmanw@uark.edu>
>
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