Watching the English, Second Edition
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Watching the English, Second Edition: The Hidden Rules of English Behavior Revised and Updated Paperback – July 1, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kate Fox, a social anthropologist, is Co-Director of the Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford. Her work involves monitoring and assessing global sociocultural trends, and has included research, publications and broadcasts on many aspects of human behavior including: social aspects of drinking, sex differences, flirting, body image, pub culture, gossip, eating, health issues, taboos, horse racing, mobile phones, email, stress, drugs, crime, violence and disorder.
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By
Judith R. Covington
on September 15, 2014
Format: Paperback
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A word of caution: If you haven't been to or lived among the English for a specific period of time, these books may not appeal to you. But if you have, and found the change of atmosphere and humor and down to earth funniness, these books are a delight.
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By
Emma W
on September 14, 2014
Format: Paperback
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Excellent anthropology, fascinating read, quite insightful.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
takingadayoff
TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on October 8, 2014
Format: Paperback
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I'm a fan of these anthropological studies of non-traditional subjects, such as the two studies of Wall Street (or similar) traders, Out of the Pits: Traders and Technology from Chicago to London by Caitlin Zaloom and Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street (a John Hope Franklin Center Book) by Karen Ho. In Watching the English, social anthropologist Kate Fox studies her own tribe, the English, in impressive detail.
She stalks her subjects in their native habitats, such as pubs, train stations, at school and work, in their homes, at the race track. She examines their driving behavior, their flirting habits, meeting strangers, talking about the weather, avoiding eye contact, devotion to pets, and more. Much more.
It's all quite fascinating, although the detail could get tedious if Fox didn't employ a typically English sense of humor about the whole thing and throw in ironic and self-deprecating comments throughout.
Two observations stand out for me -- the first is that, along with only Japan among industrial nations, the English are "negatively polite," which means that rather than showing politeness in overt ways, such as saying "hello" to an acquaintance you see in a store, for instance, the English don't say "hello" because you want to give others their privacy as they shop for underwear or whatever. Here, we would surely consider that rude, to ignore an acquaintance in a public place, but in England, it's considerate to assume you'd be intruding by saying hi.Read more ›
She stalks her subjects in their native habitats, such as pubs, train stations, at school and work, in their homes, at the race track. She examines their driving behavior, their flirting habits, meeting strangers, talking about the weather, avoiding eye contact, devotion to pets, and more. Much more.
It's all quite fascinating, although the detail could get tedious if Fox didn't employ a typically English sense of humor about the whole thing and throw in ironic and self-deprecating comments throughout.
Two observations stand out for me -- the first is that, along with only Japan among industrial nations, the English are "negatively polite," which means that rather than showing politeness in overt ways, such as saying "hello" to an acquaintance you see in a store, for instance, the English don't say "hello" because you want to give others their privacy as they shop for underwear or whatever. Here, we would surely consider that rude, to ignore an acquaintance in a public place, but in England, it's considerate to assume you'd be intruding by saying hi.Read more ›
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2 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Viktor Plzik
on July 31, 2014
Format: Paperback
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0 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By
Zineera Seth
on July 31, 2014
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It's extremely boring and hard to read without falling asleep.
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