It is generally assumed that anthropologists do their research in
remote and uncomfortable parts of the world--places with monsoons,
mud huts, and malaria. In this volume, social anthropologist Kate
Fox has taken on an altogether more enjoyable assignment, the study
of the arcane world of British horseracing. For Fox, field research
meant wandering around racetracks in a pink hat and high heels
(standard tribal costume) rather than braving killer insects and
primitive sanitation. Instead of an amorphous racing crowd, the
author finds a complete subculture with its own distinctive
customs, rituals, language and etiquette. Among the spectators, she
identifies Horseys, Addicts, Anoraks, Pair-Bonders, Day-Outers,
Suits, and Be-Seens--all united by remarkable friendliness and
courtesy. Among the racing professionals, the tribal structure
includes Warriors (jockeys), Shamans (trainers), Scribes
(journalists), Elders (officials and stewards) and Sin-Eaters
(bookies). Fox includes witty and incisive descriptions of the many
strange ceremonies and rituals observed by racegoers--the Circuit
Ritual, Ritual Conversations ("What do you fancy in the next?"),
Celebration Rituals, the Catwalk Ritual, and Post-Mortem Rituals
(naturally, a horse never loses a race because it's too slow)--and
their special codes of behavior such as the Modesty Rule, the
Collective Amnesia Rule, and the Code of Chivalry. The Racing Tribe
is also a refreshingly candid account of anthropological fieldwork,
including all the embarrassing mistakes, hiccups, short-cuts and
guesswork that most social scientists keep very quiet about.
General
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