Ethnography and Racial Dynamics in Labor and Culture

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on ethnography, racial dynamics, and labor, particularly focusing on the works of Zora Neale Hurston and Salvador Zarate.

Jim Crow

Legalized racial segregation and control in the southern United States, enforcing 'equal but separate' discrimination, particularly affecting black communities.

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)

A 1935 law providing labor protections for workers to join or form unions, with exclusions for agriculture and domestic workers, often impacting black workers.

Vagrancy Laws

Laws that targeted black communities, putting them at a disadvantage and contributing to economic and social exploitation.

Zora Neale Hurston

An anthropologist and folklorist known for her ethnographic work and writings on African American culture, particularly in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida.

Ethnographic Fieldwork

A research method where the researcher immerses themselves in a community to observe and document cultural practices and social interactions.

Participant Observation

An ethnographic method where the researcher actively engages in the community being studied to collect data.

Folk Tale

Traditionally orally passed-down stories within communities, often containing moral lessons or cultural commentary.

Mules and Men

A work by Zora Neale Hurston that combines ethnographic research with narrative storytelling about African American folklore.

Cultural Insider

A researcher who has an intimate understanding of the culture they are studying, often leading to a more nuanced perspective.

Trickster Archetype

A character type found in folklore, often embodying cunning and deception to navigate social inequalities, as seen in figures like Brer Rabbit.

Ethnographic Writing

A narrative style that interprets culture and social groups based on fieldwork, integrating subjective experiences with objective observations.

Racial Capitalism

A social theory describing how race and economic exploitation intersect, particularly in the context of labor practices and social dynamics.

Furtive Breath

A term referring to the hidden and often unacknowledged labor of marginalized individuals, particularly in the context of residential gardening.

Patchwork Ethnography

A research approach involving short, repeated visits to gather diverse perspectives and experiences from different subjects or communities.

A Better Life

A film addressing the themes of immigration, labor struggles, and the complexities of the American Dream.

The Orange County Gardeners of COVID-19

Refers to undocumented gardeners who faced increased vulnerability and exploitation during the COVID-19 pandemic.