EIGHT THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 5, 1956 EIGHT THE MiCHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, JULY 2~. 19~ .R IN NATIVE FASHION: Schorger Studies Culture by Living With People i I Iu V 7 OPEN DAILY INCLUDING SATURDAY 9 TO 5:30 By TED FRIEDMAN Editor's Note: Prof. William Schor- ger, of the anthropology department, has lived for two years in Lebanon, part of which time he spent in a Moslem village in the mountains. 7n 1953-'54, he lived in Aleppo, Syria while directing a field session for the University's program in near eastern studies. He attributes his original interest in the area to his two years with the British eighth army in North Africa 1942-'43. The following is an account of one of Prof. Schorger's more colorful so- journs. To Prof. William Schorger, the way to study a culture is to live in it. In 1948 and '49, the anthropol- ogy professor stationed himself in an isolated Moroccan peasant community. He ate native foods, obeyed local etiquette and taboos, spoke in the village dialect and at- tempted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Prof. Schorger's efforts were well repaid. He is one of few Westerners who have witnessed the complete dervish rituals at Sidi Kasem, supposedly forbid- den for non-Moslems to behold. Indeed, he was successful enough at winning the villagers' approval that they "tried to marry me off to one of the local girls." He was flattered by the offer. "This is evidence of friendly feel- ing-when they suggest you con- vert to Islam and marry one of their women." But he did not ac- cept. He is married to an Ameri- can-born woman. "I got into the village in Moroc- co through a man who was work- ing as excavator for an archeolog- ical expedition I was on in 1942." Prof. Schorger became friendly with him and one day he re- marked that the professor should drop over for a stay at his vil- lage. "I don't think he thought I would," Prof. Schorger observed. A year later the anthropologist did not merely drop in on the vil- lage, but fully dived into the so- ciety. "What it involves is going out and living with the people and eating what they eat and sort of blending into the woodwork. "I enjoyed it. I don't know whether that's a bad sign or a good sign, but I find I have no trouble accommodating to the Arab way of life." Prof. Schorger paused a mo- ment, then observed, "Arabs are very hard to manipulate. They are all anarchists at heart. "You have to. be as patient or more patient than they are. It's a nice environment for someone who is individualistic. There is a good deal more tolerance for in- dividual idiosyncracies than there is in our own country. "A man can act pretty much however he wants to without in- curring much criticism."~ They are also polite to a degree that would stagger most Ameri- cans. "When you ask an Arab a question, he will answer you with the answer he thinks you want to hear. "If you ask him a direction and he doesn't know, he will give you a direction anyway." One time Prof. Schorger was suffering from a leaking roof in his dwelling and he asked a na- tive if he would repair it. The repairman readily consent- ed and assured him it would be taken care of by the following day. It was not until many wet frus- trating weeks later that he learned such an answer in Morocco amounts to a refusal. But Prof. Schorger found it was possible to get across to the people using his approach. "Most Americans don't try to learn a foreign language when they go abroad," he said. "When they do learn the lan- guage, the people are highly flat- tered, and will do almost anything for you "I was once at the 'Saint's Feast' where theoretically no non- Moslem is supposed to be" The annual ritual is performed at the tomb of an Islamic saint. It is there that the esoteric Dervish Dance takes place. "These were essentially dances that were supposed to throw some- body into a trance-highly dra- matic affairs. They have drums and they play an oboe that sounds like a bagpipe. When it's held at night by the moonlight, it's very effective. "The theory here is that through this dance you get into contact with the supernatural. The dancer keeps whirling until he goes into the trance.' The professor indicated there is far too little of his type of ap- proach toward foreign areas. "A lot of the people the United States sends there frequently don't know the language and don't know the culture of the area. At the present time the United States is relatively ignorant of this part of the world. We seem to miss a real knowledge of the area. We can't really change the com- munities. "I think the principal problem there is a misconception that if you give people money they will 'improve,' they will become like us STATE STREET 69U AT LIBERTY I Wednesday Thursday BIG BARGAIN DAYS 10%0120%1030%0 40a% discount on lightweight and year 'round weight suits- dress shirts, underwear, pajamas, sport shirts-sport coats, raincoats- swim trunks, Bermuda shorts-shoes. BUY-SAVE, BARGAIN DAYS i 1. J FEAST OF SIDI KASEM -- (left) where dervish rituals forbidden to non-Moslems contact the supernatural. Right, Morroccan starts home amid cactus, with saplings, rope. doctor's Life Tough Behind Iron Curtain One of Europe's best surgeons says that Russia's most recent new look is not a change of heart. He calls it "Smiling Politics." Dr. Rene Fontaine, professor of surgery and dean of the Medical Faculty at France's University of Strasbourg, said that while visit- ing the University Medical School recently that the Soviet's latest tack is more treacherous than the blunt, open policy of domination which preceded it. "The Soviets' goals have not changed, and I do not believe they will", he stated. He emphasized his point by stat- ing, "I would rather die than have to practice medicine and teach un- der thi communists." Commenting on medical educa- tion behind the Iron Curtain, Dr. Fontaine saidothat considering the lack of freedom and shortage of medical faculty, satellite coun- tries were producing some pretty fair surgeons. "They are generally well-trained", he stated, adding "and areperforming operations, such as those of heart, with ad- mirable skill." Drawbacks' He pointed out, however, that there are many drawbacks. To become a surgeon one has to have a good standing in the Communist party. Medical men who are not party members are permitted to practice, but are cut off from all contacts with med - cal students, he stated. * Medical . practice in satellite countries is suffering, Dr. Fon- taine stated. Poland is suffering the most. Most medical school teachers are in their 70's, while the next age level of new doctors and students is below 35 years. The vacuum of men in the "prime" ages between 35 nd 70 is a re- sult of Poland's involvement in the second world war, which took a great toll of lives, he said. To make up for the doctor shortage in Poland, the Commu- nist government is now permitting persons to practice the more rou- tine forms of medicine and this can be right after high school, he said. Satellite countries are placing a great emphasis on research, Dr. Fontaine stated. The doctors seem to be eager to do research and are doing some good work. Dog Reflexes Research is hampered, however, by the Communist regime, he said.. fl1,,,i lnnri .c fnr.. a mn1 a nn STATE STREET AT LIBERTY PROF. SCHORGER ENJOYS INFORMAL CHAT WITH MOSLEM 11 r JULY 25th thru 31st Greyhound Files GM Damage Suit NEW YORK, (P) - Greyhound Corp. said yesterday it is prepar- ing to file a multi-million dollar damage suit against General Mo- tors Corp., charging mechanical defects in a fleet of 1,000 buses purchased from GM. Arthur S. Genet, president, told a news conference that the bus company paid about 53 million dollars for the 1,000 "Scenicruis- er" buses, which make up about 20 per cent of the total fleet. Genet declared that 570 of the buses were not up to the contract- ed mechanical standards of Grey- hound and the normal commercial production standards of GM." He said the vehicles had trouble in the lubrication systems for the transmission and clutches. 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