An analysis of the book’s contribution to the study of a Spanish-speaking culture

Posted: December 10th, 2013

This project asks you to use a novel as a window into the culture of a Spanish-speaking country. By the culture, we are referring to the learned behaviors, everyday practices, customs, worldviews, and beliefs of a group of people. In this broad anthropological sense the culture of a group (Mexicans, Aymara, Spaniards, etc.) can include aspects such as: family structures, interpersonal relations, gender, class and race relations, ways of communicating, body language, dress, arts, crafts, traditions, foodways, festivals, religion, economy and politics. Anthropologists who study the human condition define culture as the traditions and customs transmitted through learning that govern the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to them.

As you read the book or pay particular attention to what is being revealed about the culture of that country or of that group of people. What you observe may or may not be directly related to the main plot or theme of the book or film. Aspects of culture may be revealed in the sections or passages that describe everyday life or set the scene for some action in the plot or story line.

The Assignment

List the title of the work that you have decided to examine. Your essay IS NOT A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK or FILM, but an analysis of the book’s contribution to the study of a Spanish-speaking culture. You should read the book not for a plot or story line, but also use it as a window into the culture.
Use the following points to guide your essay:

What is the central issue(s) of the book?
What have you learned or observed about a Spanish-speaking culture from this book? (Think about interpersonal or family relationships, customs, religion, food, music, politics, economics, or any other cultural aspect that are discussed or portrayed in the book.)