Quote:
Originally Posted by Brea
To Kharmine:
Oh yes, I agree with you! That's what I meant by how science progresses, the endless argument: is this worthwhile, is it not. The Mead question I was referring to was not that, but that 'Samoa' was not a proper term to use (as there are more and different parts of Samoa and she should have been more specific in titling. Of course that is a small point, but again, I did most of my college education in Hawai'i, and you wouldn't believe how nit picky they get). I think I am trying to say that we should always be objective with any kind of research and not simply accept it wholeheartedly, which I think you are saying as well.
-Brea
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Yes, I do agree with you. Science is always about retracing steps and reweighing the evidence in light of new discoveries and ideas. You can figure that you've got the answer based on what you know now, but there's a lot we still have to leave the door open to.
It was unlikely that Mead chose the title of her book -- those decisions are made by the publishing house.
She did spend a large part of her time with the people she was studying so that they would get to know and trust her. Evidently many people did, but it was still only a "representational sampling" of the larger community. And representational samplings are always at least a little suspect.
When we are researching the history of belly dance we have to remember that the same guidelines apply. Belly dance as we know it today is a fusion of various dance traditions from the Middle East, Turkey and Greece, largely. That's a pretty big swath of folks from different places, times and traditions who have used dance in different ways and have different opinions about it.
From its beginnings as raqs sharqi in Cairo cabarets, it was showcased with a strong Western influence -- Westernized bands and a Westernized style of traditional music often accompanied dancers who incorporated Western touches such as high heels, veils, costumes that borrowed from Hollywood, use of ballet-style arms and spins, etc.
You can see the evolution in the United States where immigrants and imported performers taught the moves from their traditions to Americans, and where immigrants and children of immigrants kept up the tradition of presenting Westernized versions of ethnic music for these dancers to perform to.
Again, this is history that cuts a pretty wide swath so our research has to cover a wide area as well. Leaving out credible evidence because it doesn't match our preferences or previous findings is not scientifically honest.
Every group that has involvement in the evolution and spread of belly dance has a part of the picture, as it were. But it's a big picture.