Return to Laughter: an Anthropological Novel

Bowen, Elenor Smith, 1964, Return to Laughter: an anthropological novel. New York: Anchor Books.

--Elenor Smith Bowen, commonly known as Laura Bohannon by her colleagues, spent a significant portion of her life studying the Tiv of Northern Nigeria. Through this, she was able to understand their culture and therefore learn how to communicate with them and properly function within the community.

--Because she did not intend to write the book Return to Laughter as an ethnographic study, not a lot is revealed about the Tiv culture in this particular work. However, because Bowen wrote specific instances that touched on their native practices and how she was affected by them, the reader was given the chance to take a glimpse at the society that adopted her and the way she reacted towards it. Through this, it is therefore obvious that it can be possible to learn about another culture through ones writings even though the author did not fully intend for the book to do so.

--Upon reading this book, it is made apparent that Ms. Bowen’s intentions were to document the fictional struggles she concocted as she embarked on an anthropological adventure for the very first time. This is, in fact, quite a refreshing approach to writing about field work for one gets tired of all the false endurance and fortitude that researchers lay claim to have as they trudge through miles of mud and foliage. Although they don’t really state that they were more than capable of the labor they had endured, most, if not all of the authors, however, fail to record the sufferings they did undergo as if it never happened. Ms. Bowen, on the other hand, had no reticence in documenting the difficulties an anthropologist might have to confront as one lives in a remote portion of the world. Through this, a more truthful portrayal of the hardships involved on the field is presented. Such is quite evident in the way she talks about the long and winding journey her character had to suffer through on foot. Furthermore, she even writes about instances when her character made errors in judgment particularly during the time when one of the elders’ (Poorgbilin) wives wanted to dedicate a dance just for her. Mistaking the obligatory compensation of a healthy ram to the dancers and dismissing it as her servants’ selfish ploy to gain distinction in the society, she almost alienated herself from the very community she was trying to infiltrate (Bowen,1964, 115).

--Such a confession of initial incompetence is rare in ethnographic books for most authors try to make it seem as though they effortlessly navigate through the complexities of foreign cultures and gain people’s confidence without any type of difficulty. However, through the honesty that Ms. Bowen displayed, she made a more believable account (although fictional) of how anthropologists deal with the initial difficulties of working with complete strangers. Furthermore, she also dispels the notion that most anthropologists are great adventurers in the mold of Indiana Jones who have no trouble whatsoever in dealing with exotic societies.

--Although the book was very insightful, the author, however, made it a little hard for the reader to relate to her character. This is because in some parts of the book, she made her alter-ego seem like a “whip-cracking” slave driver who was bent on yelling at her servants at every opportunity she gets. Moreover, it appeared at times that she fancied herself superior to the people she was studying by constantly attempting to supersede the status given to her by the male elders of the community. This is quite evident when she continued to force herself into the affairs of men even though it was already made clear that she had her place in the society (Bowen, 1964, 79). In fairness, however, she did realize her mistake by saying that she should have been content with the acceptance that she had already received from the women and let the men give her access to their “inner circle” on their own terms (Bowen, 1964, 77).

--The character’s, and perhaps Ms. Bowen’s, attitude towards her servants and Africans in general, can be attributed to the era she lived in. Due to the lack of “political correctness” and the over-all attitude of prejudice during the fifties onwards, the behavior she displayed towards certain people can be overlooked for this was the custom during the time. Nonetheless, the way she treated her servants still made me uncomfortable and caused me to question her credibility as an impartial observer for she displayed a lot of incorporated ethnocentricity.

--As the character struggled through her own misgivings and failures in the process of attempting to figure out the people she was studying, she was also able to document some information about the community she lived in. For although this wasn’t Ms. Bowen’s objective, she nevertheless listed some important rituals that her character attended that may prove necessary to those who are interested in further studying this society. Through this, the book Return to Laughter, may also function as an ethnographic study to a certain extent.

--Because she was initially separated from the community, Ms. Bowen’s alter-ego sought to become incorporated within the village by accepting invitations to attend various ceremonies despite the fact that she showed very little enthusiasm in going to them. Through this, she was able to gather data as mentioned above. An example of such an instance is when Ms. Bowen attended a “weeding party” in order to become accepted by the women folk. By this, she was able to discover the way women tend to their fields and how they shared the work load thus increasing productivity. Furthermore, by such gatherings, she was also able to observe how women interacted especially outside the presence of men. Henceforth, through indirect means, Ms. Bowen was able to observe and record important events that revealed the villages’ cultural practices.

--Compared to W.D. Merchant’s book Home on the Hill, Return to Laughter was more insightful especially regarding the ethnic group that the book dealt with. For although neither authors meant to directly discuss either cultures (Merchant talked about her childhood and Bowen discussed her fictional struggles in the jungle), Return to Laughter still, however, gave the reader a more clear understanding of the society the book was associated with. In addition, although Ms. Bowen did not paint as clear a picture as Ms. Merchant did (who used flowery and hyperbolic words in her book), Bowen still was able to convey her ideas more clearly for she was more direct in her story telling. Furthermore, Ms. Bowen made it seem, through her editing, that she followed a strict chronological pattern in her book thus making it much easier for the reader to follow the narrations. On the other hand, Ms. Merchant jumped from one time frame to another making it seem like her book was a tiresome Quentin Tarantino film that makes the ending the beginning and the ending the middle thus creating further confusion. Nonetheless, I still must commend Ms. Merchant’s capacity to describe specific events in such poetic detail that the reader can almost experience what she was talking about.

--In conclusion, Elenor Smith Bowen, although at times her character seemed like a prejudiced slave owner, was able to write a fictional book that dealt with the true suffering and initial ignorance anthropologists had to encounter as they go into the field for the first time. Furthermore, as she sought to become accepted within the community she was studying, she was able to gather information about the specific culture that may be important to the reader. Hence, even though Ms. Bowen’s intentions were different, she was able to write a “semi-ethnographic” book by using specific instances from her fictional adventure and showing how it affected her character.

return to anthropology page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws