The Cocktail Waitress, James Spradley And Brenda Mann Essay

Historically, anthropologists have focused their research on foreign cultures, often considered exotic to westerners. Yet, globalization has created a continuously shrinking world and is increasingly providing sovereignty for developing nations, which may impede research opportunities for modern anthropologists. In their book, â€Å"The Cocktail Waitress,† James Spradley and Brenda Mann explained how this semi-recent issue threatens trust and acceptance in these foreign communities and obstructs unique opportunities and research funding. Luckily, there are countless subcultures in America’s back yard, in which most are eternally evolving, providing a multitude of research opportunities for anthropologists. Alcohol establishments are home to a plethora of subcultures that display clashing and harmonious interactions enjoyable for even the untrained human observers. Noticeably, bars contain the local regulars, occasional boozers, business men, college students, and multip le others, all there for a common goal, leisure. Whether the responsible sober driver, moderate drinker, or completely inebriated, every patron has exchanged workday courtesies for uninhibited behaviors. Additionally, lounges often exhibit social interactions between men and women which provide ethnographers opportunity to study the cultural roles considered masculine or feminine within our society and subcultures. Formerly, women employed in alcohol establishments were prohibited from managerial, bar keeping, or