Roots in Antiquity: A Comparative Study of Cultures
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Freajah, Lara Younes
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Turner, Stephen
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
University of South Florida
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
79 p.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
M.A.
Body granting the degree
University of South Florida
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This study was conducted with the goal to provide an in-depth analysis of the analogous qualities of two very distinct yet similar cultures: the Arab and Sarakatsan cultures, with a particular focus on personal matters that deal with family and kinship. Despite the difference in religions, both groups demonstrate a substantive set of similar traits especially in terms of the interactions, dynamics, and functionality of family relations in addition to the highly-esteemed values that dictate everyday conduct. As a first-generation Arab Muslim who immigrated to the United States, I use the culture in which I am entrenched as a basis for providing an insightful account of the experiences that bear similarity to those accounted for of the Sarakatsans. In this way I study and compare a culture outside of mine as a means to augment perspective and analyze the ways in which this comparative culture can relate to my own. Ethnography as well as autoethnography were the instrumental and methodological approaches through which this study was conducted, drawing conclusions from the insightful accounts of the experiences within these cultures respectively. The results substantiate the hypothesis that the two cultures indeed bear strikingly analogous characteristics and functions, despite the geographical, religious, and environmental differences. These findings imply that the commonalities of these cultures stem from a foundation other than religion or ethnicity which provide incentive for further work investigating the source of similarity of these particularities of culture.