Oriental shop: an ethnography of material communication inside an Asian grocery store in Madison, Wisconsin

Yoshimura, Ayako (2009) Oriental shop: an ethnography of material communication inside an Asian grocery store in Madison, Wisconsin. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[img] [English] PDF - Accepted Version
Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.

Download (6MB)

Abstract

This thesis examines the creation, maintenance, and functions of social networks at an Asian grocery store located in Madison, Wisconsin, through an analysis of foodways and decor. The Oriental Shop is a family-run store that carries Japanese and other Asian foods, which has served the population of Madison and its vicinity for nearly thirty years. Like many small businesses, the store owes its success to the support of faithful customers with whom the owners establish personal relationships. -- By describing the uses and functions of foods and store decorations among the owners and regular customers, I explain how these two aspects of material culture enable nonverbal communication among those who frequent the store. The objective is to research how personal relationships at the store-on the part of the owners as well as that of their customers-is cultivated by such material means.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/9274
Item ID: 9274
Additional Information: Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-129)
Department(s): Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of > Folklore
Date: 2009
Date Type: Submission
Geographic Location: United States--Wisconsin--Madison
Library of Congress Subject Heading: Asian Americans--Social networks--Wisconsin--Madison; Ethnic markets--Social aspects--Wisconsin--Madison; Ethnology--Wisconsin--Madison; Material culture--Wisconsin--Madison

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over the past year

View more statistics