THE NACIREMA AND THE TSIRUOT

The way that the Nacirema, a North American people, perceive other cul tures is shaped, in significant measure, by their ideas about their ow n culture. The projection of Nacirema values and behaviors onto other people is especially evident when Nacirema go on spiritual pilgrimages called sruot. Individual Nacirema who participate in these journeys b ear the honorific title tsiruot, and they invest considerable resource s and hope in the enlightenment they anticipate as the outcome of thei r travels. This essay describes representative encounters between Naci rema tsiruots and members of other societies, and provides a glossary of terms that are often used by the Nacirema to explain their experien ces during sruot. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.