Thanks a lot, Nate, for the interesting reference!
Eugene
> -----Original Message-----
> From: N*** [mailto:vygotsky who-is-at nateweb.info]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 6:45 AM
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: RE: Culture of honour
>
> 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 book4s 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.
> > > > >
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
>
> =====
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