In college I had this super dorky, nerdy by nerd standards, anthropology teacher. I was taking his class as a free elective, so I spent most of the time not paying attention and silently fabricating elaborate storylines about my unknown classmates.
One day my ears perked up when the professor was talking about a few years in the 70’s he’d spent touring with and studying punk rockers. The image of this starkly lame dude, surrounded by black-clad, pierced misfits astounded me. How could he have possibly been accepted into such an image based, anti-establishment culture? He explained that, at first sight, most of the people were indeed, very wary of him. But, once the punks realized he was there without bias, and that he was simply trying to learn their story, he was graciously accepted, in spite of his appearance.
Looking back now, I sort of realize how completely punk rock it was for this textbook looking anthropologist, whose colleagues were out observing indigenous tribes in Africa, to roadtrip with an obscure musical subculture that was deemed, simply, “problematic” by almost all other aspects of society.
Basically, I wish I was an anthropologist and/or could grow facial hair.

—

Patrick Moberg

Doing punk ethnography is on my list of fantasy-projects-i-will-probably-never-do. these also include:

• textual analysis of pop-punk with specific attention to gender themes, especially the construction of women as being one-dimensional characters who are also the primary cause of problem for men
• fieldwork with Appalachian Pentecostals. Actually I read a couple papers abotu this in my anthropology of religion class in undergrad and I just really liked them. Only upside of that class besides the totally epic paper I wrote on Left Behind as an expression of millenarianist nativism/fear of the browning of America.
• megachurch ethnography, especially focused on the christian idea of financial success as reward for devotion. also interested in the evangelical construct of healing.
• anthropology of anarchist organizations, including cultural models of anarchism
• cultural ideas of dystopia as represented in sci-fi movies

Yeah so I spend a lot of time thinking about this.

1. butterpockets liked this
2. ginaslikegenius reblogged this from patrickmoberg
3. ginaslikegenius liked this
4. baileybubble liked this
5. bravenazar liked this
6. deadlikedisco liked this
7. bakethatlinguist liked this
8. thebitchoftheliving reblogged this from patrickmoberg
9. b3arfruit liked this
10. fuckyeahilike reblogged this from patrickmoberg
11. fuckyeahilike liked this
12. cjoel liked this
13. sickillstand liked this
14. unanimouslyanonymous reblogged this from patrickmoberg
15. alohanico liked this
16. tarajuku liked this
17. andrewfm liked this
18. benkraal liked this
19. clothedinsky liked this
20. ay-cono liked this
21. devalina liked this
22. becoming-wave liked this
23. fumblies liked this
24. sectumsempra liked this
25. rachelstein liked this
26. saintseverus reblogged this from 2livendieinla
27. 2livendieinla reblogged this from anthropophagous
28. badgoldfish reblogged this from anthropophagous
29. vinciboy liked this
30. how-to-kiss-distinctly-american liked this
31. funkyfest liked this
32. shmorange liked this
33. m-x liked this
34. rivertrash liked this
35. anthropophagous reblogged this from patrickmoberg and added:

    Patrick Moberg Doing punk ethnography is on my list

36. anthropophagous liked this
37. 6od liked this
38. allihaveismywit liked this
39. mariaaa liked this
40. coldfashion liked this
41. notational liked this
42. gadisgeek reblogged this from patrickmoberg
43. gouachegalatea reblogged this from patrickmoberg
44. billybrown liked this
45. belovedwildheart reblogged this from patrickmoberg and added:

    is legit. patrickmoberg:

46. michee liked this
47. stephtoujours reblogged this from patrickmoberg
48. teeaah liked this
49. ampersandsemicolon liked this
50. irisl liked this
51. Show more notesLoading...