One piece of Thomas’ approach to this ethnography that struck me as interesting was her position of authority on the topic due to her background. She lived in Jamacia before and comes from a Jamaican background, meaning that she holds some understanding of Jamaican cultural customs and social relations. She also expresses early on in the introduction how she holds a connection to Jamaican dancers through her background in dance, and how those same Jamaican dancers used their art as a means to advocate for sociopolitical change. As Thomas explores violence in Jamaica through her ethnography, a sociopolitical issue, having prior connections with these cultural politics allow her to more accurately understand and convey the results of her ethnographic research. This background also provides a clear pathway for participant observation, granting Thomas diverse perspectives in her research without the typical barriers that an ethnographer deemed an “outsider” would face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One piece of Thomas’ approach to this ethnography that struck me as interesting was her position of authority on the topic due to her background. She lived in Jamacia before and comes from a Jamaican background, meaning that she holds … Continue reading