http://chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/767/honor.htm
--- david.preiss@yale.edu wrote:
>
> Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the
> South
> by Richard E. Nisbett, Dov Cohen (Contributor)
>
> Paperback: 119 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.64
> x 9.21 x 6.08
> Publisher: Westview Press; (May 1996)
> ISBN: 0813319935
>
> Would love to hear opinions about it. When I was
> checking this book,
> there was something about this book´s approach to
> the issue that made
> me feel a bit uncomfortable with its underlying
> notion of culture. As I
> could not figure it out, I abstained to do a final
> judgement.
>
>
> Quoting Eugene Matusov <ematusov@udel.edu>:
>
> > Dear David–
> >
> > Can you provide a reference to Nisbett, R's book
> about culture of
> > honor,
> > please?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Eugene
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: david.preiss@yale.edu
> [mailto:david.preiss@yale.edu]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 12:37 PM
> > > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: Re: Culture of honour
> > >
> > >
> > > There is a book of R. Nissbett about culture of
> honor and that
> > studies
> > > southern USA and that may be quite close to what
> you are looking. I
> > do
> > > not know the book in detail so I cannot express
> further opinions
> > about
> > > it.
> > >
> > >
> > > Quoting Peter Smagorinsky <smago@coe.uga.edu>:
> > >
> > > > I did not mean to sound offended, but wanted
> simply to ward off
> > > > overgeneralizations on a large and varied
> region.
> > > >
> > > > First, people do not agree on what is included
> in the American
> > South.
> > > > When
> > > > I lived in Oklahoma, some considered it
> Midwestern, others
> > Southern,
> > > > others
> > > > Southwestern (and that orientation might
> depend on which part of
> > the
> > > > state
> > > > you lived in--the part bordering Arkansas, the
> part bordering
> > New
> > > > Mexico,
> > > > the part bordering Kansas). To some Maryland
> is in the South,
> > to
> > > > others
> > > > not. Many people in Georgia think that my home
> state of Virginia
> > is
> > > > in the
> > > > North. And many people in southern Virginia
> do not believe the
> > > > Washington
> > > > DC metropolitan area (where I grew up) to be
> part of the South.
> > So if
> > > >
> > > > you're going to talk about the region, you
> need to consider that
> > it's
> > > >
> > > > ill-defined to begin with.
> > > >
> > > > Second, many perceptions of the region are
> based on the
> > dominant
> > > > culture,
> > > > when many other cultures exist. In the South
> most obviously
> > this
> > > > would
> > > > refer to African American culture, which
> itself includes a number
> > of
> > > > social
> > > > class distinctions. Metro Atlanta, for
> instance, has a robust
> > > > governing
> > > > and entrepreneurial African American social
> class that is not
> > present
> > > > in
> > > > other parts of Georgia where the legacies of
> slavery and
> > segregation
> > > > are
> > > > still present and affect economic
> opportunities for African
> > > > Americans. More recently, the large Latino/a
> immigration has
> > brought
> > > > new
> > > > cultures to the region--I emphasize the plural
> because of the
> > variety
> > > > of
> > > > nationalities represented (see, e.g., the
> large Cuban population
> > in
> > > > Miami
> > > > and burgeoning Mexican population in Georgia).
> > > >
> > > > They say that the South isn't as Southern as
> it used to be. A
> > lot of
> > > >
> > > > Northerners have relocated to the South
> because of the
> > temperate
> > > > climate
> > > > and business opportunities. It's still got an
> unfortunate base
> > of
> > > > racist
> > > > White residents (see the inflammatory debates
> about the
> > Confederate
> > > > flag),
> > > > both those blatantly hostile and those who
> discriminate more
> > subtly.
> > > > But
> > > > I've lived in a number of parts of the US and
> have found racism
> > > > everywhere. This is not to excuse Southern
> racists, only to
> > point
> > > > out that
> > > > they're hardly unique and perhaps more
> indignant given that not
> > long
> > > > ago
> > > > their prejudices were written into law and
> they feel that
> > they've
> > > > lost
> > > > their entitlement. In most of the state-wide
> elections we've
> > had
> > > > since I
> > > > moved here, the candidates who've played the
> race card have
> > lost.
> > > >
> > > > As for a Southern code of honor, I just don't
> know. I think
> > it's
> > > > like a
> > > > lot of other legacies (e.g., the Southern
> tradition of
> > civility,
> > > > which was
> > > > extended only to other Whites), it's part of a
> heritage that may
> > or
> > > > may not
> > > > have actually been practiced, and is referred
> to these days
> > primarily
> > > > in
> > > > terms of its loss. But like a lot of other
> Golden Age concepts,
> > it
> > > > may
> > > > never have existed as strongly as memory
> suggests.
> > > >
>
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