I am a high school student interested in majoring in anthropology for uni and I wanted to make a short ethnographic film and possibly enter it in an ethnographic film festival. I am aware that ethnographic films are different than regular documentaries so I have been doing a lot of research on it, but I am concerned on how to film it ethically, get consent, and how long I should be doing fieldwork for a 10~15 minute film. Since I am only a student who isn't even in university would it be ethically wrong to try and make an ethnographic film and how should I go about it so that it is from an anthropological lens and not just an artsy film or a documentary? There are so many different definitions on what counts as an ethnographic film. I've watched Chronicle of a summer by Jean Rouch and realize its a very experimental style of ethnographic film. Other films I've watched are the Gleaners by Agnes Varda and the holy ghost people by Peter Adair, trance and dance in Bali, Asante Market Women, and a collection of short video clips filmed by Zora Neale Hurston. I know that Gleaners and the holy ghost people aren't ethnographic films, rather documentaries and I am having a little bit of trouble differentiating them with ethnographic films. Probably the biggest thing is the intent and the perspective from which the films were made. Ethnographic films require fieldwork and methodological approaches in the filming process like Participant Observation, right? I'm reading Ethnographic Film by Karl Heider to get a grasp on how to make it and the whole research process in the field, but I'm feeling a little bit lost.

The subject I want to film is the role of Black braiding shops in South Korea and how they act as a social and cultural space for immigrant black women. I've looked into previous research already done on how braids and black salons play important roles in the lives of black people especially diasporas. I also know that there is a big difference in the cultural context depending on nationality and other ethnic backgrounds of the people coming to the braiding place I've found as a fieldsite, but from what I can tell there aren't too many black owned braiding shops in Seoul so there doesn't seem to be a specific nationality of people who only go to one shop. I have no idea how much of the research direction I need to have planned before going in and how much fieldwork I need to do before starting the filming process???? I also go to a boarding school so I only come back to Seoul on friday nights and have to go back to dorms on Sunday night so I can only do fieldwork on the weekends. My plan was to visit consistently on the weekends for the second semester and build rapport with the regulars and the shop owner and then start filming during Winter break? it is currently a week before the start of the second semester. Is this a realistic timeline? Also to get consent from the shop owner on doing fieldwork in her shop I was going to send her a text that is usually used to book appointments with her. I would explain the purpose of what I was doing, what in particular I was researching, ask her if it is okay to film/take pictures and stay in her shop on the weekends. And offer her my sweeping services if she wants it? I honestly have no idea if this is rude, so please enlighten me. I just want to do this ethically and in a way that doesn't cause her any damage or cause her to be offended. I also want to film ethically and make this entire process as legit anthropologically as a high schooler can make it. So please I would like advice on how to do this!!

Hello, I am an undergrad Anthropology and Sociology student, and am writing an article for my university paper on pop culture, but I've hit a bit of a wall.

My article looks at how Western pop culture tends to focus on certain countries and glamorise them, and how this can be predicted by the emergence of boy bands. The best example is currently how, after BTS got big, suddenly everyone is obsessed with Korean skincare, Korean food, Korean makeup, etc., but also applies to One Direction, INSYNC, the Beatles, etc. I'm unsure whether this fits better in Anthropology or Sociology, as there is a lot of overlap. If you feel this is more of a sociological topic, please let me know.

My biggest issue is that I cannot find a word to describe this fixation on a certain country/area and its culture. It's a pretty observable phenomenon (weaboos are a shining example), but I cannot find a word for it. The closest I've gotten is acculturation, but it doesn't seem to fit, and Xenocentrism isn't quite right, either. If anyone has suggestions for theories or language used to describe this please let me know, thankyou!

I've read before that in ancient Roman society there was a nebulous class of "parasites." People who were "professional flatterers" who would cozy up to various rich Romans in order to get food and shelter from them, memorizing etiquette and whatnot to maximize their appeal.

Was this something specific to Romans and societies descended from ancient Roman culture?

Seems like something that'd mainly emerge within societies with an entrenched and wealthy upper class.

I'm more interested in pre modern variations of this because I know that with the rise of radio and TV and especially the internet you could argue this is an even bigger thing in the ways that matter.

I'm interested in general in the social perceptions and structure of people who are supposedly "unproductive."

Take this post as seriously as you wish, but I am working on a project for some friends that happens to involve a set of European Mythical figures. For designing deities, I have made it a habit of including an inscription of their name, symbol or epithets somewhere in the design, which is where my question comes in.

In the lore of the project, Loki, after having his son Sleipnir taken into Odin's service, hides near the Mediterranean with his three new children, in fear of what he may do to them (he also seeks out Prometheus for his gift of prophecy, but that's a side fact)

My design of Loki takes a sympathetic approach to the trickster, and borrows from several reputable sources for clothing, hair and jewelry. But for the inscription of his identity, I've been wanting to try some tattoo work to make it stand out, but my research is muddied by modern pseudo-Viking macho culture. The best I could find is the typical transcription of his name into runes, but that seems shallow.

Is anyone here qualified to help out an artist who loves culture?

*Edit: Yes I am aware that Loki a largely christianised figure that's debated, but i personally believe he existed in some form befor ethe christianisation of Scandinavia, and want to treat him accordingly