Eating Christmas in The Kalahari
Richard Borshay Lee was a social anthropologist who lived and studied with the Tswana tribe in southern Africa. Richard Borshay Lee introduces us to some extremely important social science techniques in "Eating Christmas in the Kalahari." He opted to participate in an ox Christmas celebration. Mr. Lee felt compelled to provide a present because the tribal group mistook him for a miser because he had lived there for a long time and had never shared his food. He felt bound to share because it was Christmas and both sides believed in the spiritual festival. Finally, his opinions differ from those of the Kung people, demonstrating the potency of socializing agents. Lee's main stumbling block is a miscommunication between himself and the tribesman about why he isn't receiving the appreciation he expected after slaughtering such a massive ox. While it may not appear so at first, the conflict between the tribesman and Lee might be interpreted as a representation of the s...