Ethnograhy

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For my anthropology ethnographic paper I decided to study the intrinsic division existing inside Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (henceforth IBA), which is between the hostelites and the day scholars. However, upon closer examination and investigation, I realized that the major division has given birth to more complex divisions. I will be studying the paradox of the entire separation, for within the hostelites residing here- clear, stark and strong divisions have been created. And the tool that carved these divisions is none other than language.

Hostelites come in from different ethnic, social, cultural and geographical backgrounds within Pakistan, they vary from the far flung narrow Northern areas to the metropolitan urban Southern areas, and they have divided themselves by language. The three main languages spoken in the Girl’s Hostel are Sindhi, Gilgiti and Urdu, and it is on the basis of these very strong and prominent languages that communication is limited and restricted. To say that language is the defining aspect of the groups that are formed inside the IBA Girl’s hostel would not be an overstatement, for I have observed, interviewed and felt the distinction myself.

“The limits of our language” means the limits of our world. -Wittgenstein, 1922, p. 149. This statement could not be more accurate, as language is the defining aspect of communication and integration, and if this aspect is tampered with, then the entire concept of communication is destroyed.

I have been living in the hostel for about 10 months now, and can give first hand magnified details of the inside workings of the hostel, it amazes me to see how dichotomized this society is, that there is a need to categorize everything into groups. IBA itself is unconsciously promoting groupings and sometimes plays the home ground for much intergroup discrimination. One such discrimination is based on the differences in language.

The question my ethnographic paper is exploring is do these ethnic disparities exist? And if so, how does language facilitate these differences? And what meanings do the hostelites attach to the concept of “language” and “mother tongue” and the entire “your language” and “my language” phenomena? How does difference in language create ethnic disparities and communication barriers within IBA Girl’s Hostel?

RESEARCH:

For my qualitative research, I conducted 53 close ended interviews, and 34 open ended interviews with different inhabitants of the IBA Girl’s Hostel. Three question that I asked all of my 70 participants were which ethnic group they belonged to, what language they spoke and how much they preferred interacting with those of the same language. I also carried out field observations; I observed the dining room where all the inhabitants (103 in total) had dinner and resumed normal every day chit-chat from the peak hours of 9-10:30 PM. The reason I chose this time was that during the lunch or breakfast hours, the hostel inhabitants are at the university campus and my sample would have been restricted and non-representative.