View source for Dr. Zahir's Ethnographical Questionnaire

'''[[Dr. Zahir’s Ethnographical Questionnaire]]''' was compiled by David Zahir to help in the description of [[conculture]]s, and can be found in the files section of the [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conculture/ Conculture group at Yahoo].

== I. Questions of Place ==

(a) Describe the geography of where your society calls home.<br>
(b) Describe the climate your society deals with. How severe are their seasons?<br>
(c) What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?<br>
(d) What are the most commonly-grown foods?<br>
(e) What are the most commonly-eaten meats?<br>
(f) What foods are considered exotic or expensive?<br>
(g) What forms of alcohol are common? Rare?<br>
(h) Is there usually enough food and water for the population?<br>
(i) What is this place's most abundant resource?<br>
(j) What is its most valuable resource?<br>
(k) What resource is it most lacking?<br>
(l) How do people travel from one place to another?<br>
(m) Are the borders secure? In what way?<br>
(n) How many people live here?<br>
(o) Where in this place to they congregate?<br>
(p) What part of this place do they avoid? Why?<br>
(q) What are the most common domesticated animals here? And what are they domesticated for?<br>
(r) What are the most common wild animals?<br>
(s) Which animals are likely to be pets? Which ones won't be?<br>

== II. Questions of Time ==

(a) How far back does this society's written history go?<br>
(b) How far back do its people believe it goes?<br>
(c) What is the worst disaster they believe they've faced?<br>
(d) What was the best thing that every happened to them?<br>
(e) What in their past makes them feel ashamed?<br>
(f) What in their past makes them proud?<br>
(g) What are they afraid of happening again?<br>
(h) What are they hoping will happen? Do they think it likely?<br>
(i) What do they assume the future will hold?<br>
(j) How has this society changed? Do its current members realize this?<br>
(k) What are the most popular stories about the past?<br>
(l) Who in the past is the greatest hero? The worst villain?<br>
(m) Do people think the present better or worse than the past?<br>
(n) Do people believe the future will be better or worse than the present or past?<br>

== III. Questions of Sex and Family ==

(a) How many spouses may a man or woman have?<br>
(b) Who decides on a marriage?<br>
(c) Can a marriage end in divorce? How?<br>
(d) Who usually takes custody of children if a marriage ends for some reason?<br>
(e) How is adultery defined? What (if any) is the punishment? Who decides?<br>
(f) How are families named?(g) What happens to orphans?<br>
(h) How are boy and girl children treated differently?<br>
(i) Are premarital relations allowed?<br>
(j) How does your society define incest? Rape? How do people react to these?<br>
(k) What, if anything, is considered a good marriage gift?<br>
(l) What secret vice is believed to be widely practiced?<br>
(m) What secret vice actually is practiced?<br>
(n) What sexual habits are widely believed common among foriegners?<br>
(o) How do people react to homosexuality?<br>
(p) How do the genders dress?<br>
(q) Is prostitution legal? How are prostitutes viewed? Is this accurate?<br>
(r) What professions or activities are considered masculine?<br>
(s) What professions or activities are viewed as feminine?<br>
(t) What inanimate or sexless things are considered male or female?<br>
(u) What is the biggest sexual taboo?<br>
(v) Does this society connect the ideas of marriage with love?<br>
(w) What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important it it?<br>

== IV. Questions of Manners ==

(a) Who speaks first at a formal gathering?<br>
(b) What kinds of gifts are considered in extremely bad taste?<br>
(c) How do younger adults address their elders?<br>
(d) What colors are associated with power? With virtue? With death?<br>
(e) If two men get into a fight, how is this supposed to be resolved?<br>
(f) If two women get into a fight, how should that be resolved?<br>
(g) When is it rude to laugh at something funny?<br>
(h) What kinds of questions cannot be asked in public? In private? At all?<br>
(i) How do people demonstrate grief?<br>
(j) What does this society do with their corpses?<br>
(k) What kinds of jewelry do people where? And when?<br>
(l) Who inheirits property? Titles? Position?<br>
(m) What happens to those suffering from extreme mental illness?<br>
(n) What are the most popular games? How important are they?<br>
(o) What parts of the body are routinely covered?<br>
(p) How private are bodily functions like bathing or defecating?<br>
(q) How do people react to physical deformity?<br>
(r) When and how does someone go from child to adult?<br>

== V. Questions of Faith ==

(a) Is there a formal clergy? How are they organized?<br>
(b) What do people believe happens to them after death? How, if at all, can they influence this?<br>
(c) What happens to those who disagree with the majority on questions of religion?<br>
(d) Are there any particular places considered special or holy? What are they like?<br>
(e) What are the most popular rituals or festivals?<br>
(f) What do people want from the god or gods? How do they try and get it?<br>
(g) How do their religious practices differ from their neighbours?<br>
(h) What is the most commonly broken religious rule?(i) What is the least-violated religious rule?<br>
(j) What factions exist within the dominant religious institutions? How do they compete?<br>
(k) Are there monastic groups? What do they do and how are they organized? How do you join one?<br>
(l) How are those who follow different faiths treated?<br>
(m) What relationship do religious and political leaders have?<br>
(n) What superstitions are common? What kinds of supernatural events/beings do people fear?<br>

== VI. Questions of Government ==

(a) Who decides whether someone has broken a law? How?<br>
(b) What kinds of punishments are meted out? By whom? Why?<br>
(c) How are new laws created or old ones changed?<br>
(d) Is there some form of clemency or pardon? What is involved?<br>
(e) Who has the right to give orders, and why?<br>
(f) What titles do various officials have?<br>
(g) How are the rules different for officials as opposed to the common person?<br>
(h) How do government officials dress?<br>
(i) Is the law written down? Who interprets it?<br>
(j) Once accused, what recourse does someone have?<br>
(k) Is torture allowed? What kinds?<br>
(l) How are people executed?<br>
(m) Who cannot rise to positions of leadership?<br>
(n) Is bribery allowed? Under what circumstances?<br>
(o) What makes someone a bad ruler in this society? What can be done about it?<br>
(p) What are the most common or dangerous forms of criminal?<br>

== VII. Questions of War ==

(a) Who declares war?<br>
(b) Who has the power to declare conditions of peace?<br>
(c) What happens to prisoners taken in battle?<br>
(d) What form of warfare does this society use?<br>
(e) Who are the Elite warriors? What distinguishes them?<br>
(f) How does someone get command of troops?<br>
(g) Where do the loyalties of military units lie?<br>
(h) Are there professional soldiers? Do they make up the bulk of the military?<br>
(i) Has this society ever attacked another? Do they want to? What would make them do so?<br>
(j) Who are their enemies? Who's winning?<br>
(k) What do soldiers do when there's no war?<br>

== VIII. Questions of Education ==

(a) Does this society have its own language? Its own writing?<br>
(b) How common is literacy? How is literacy viewed?<br>
(c) What form and value are books?<br>
(d) Who teaches others? How do they teach?<br>
(e) Who decides who learns to read or write?(f) Who teaches professions, like carpenter or scribe?<br>
(g) Are foreigners ever brought in to teach new skills? Who does that?<br>
(h) How do this society's doctors try to treat wounds and sickness?<br>
(i) Which medical assumtions of this society are wrong?<br>

== IX. Questions of Art ==

(a) What are the favorite artforms?<br>
(b) What are the least-favorite?<br>
(c) How respected are artists?<br>
(d) Do artists require official or unofficial protection?<br>
(e) What kinds of trouble are artists in particular likely to find themselves in?<br>
(f) How might a very successful artist live?<br>
(g) What forms of theatre does your society have?<br>
(h) How naturalistic or stylized is your society's art?<br>
(j) What shapes are most common in your society's arts, like embroidery or architecture?<br>
(k) Which artforms get the most and least respect?<br>
(l) What form does censorship take?<br>
(m) Who may not be an artist?<br>
(n) What qualities equal "beauty" in this society?<br>
(o) What makes a man or woman especially beautiful?<br>
(p) How do people react to tattoos? Piercings? Facial hair? Make-up?<br>

== X. Questions of sex and marriage ==

(a) Is sex confined to marriage?<br>
(b) Or, is it supposed to be?  What constitutes aberrant behavior?<br>
(c) Is there anything about this culture or religion in that culture that specifically addresses sexual conduct?<br>
(d) Are there laws about it?  What about prostitution?<br>
(e) How old should someone be in your culture to be having sex?<br>
(f) What is considered too great a difference in age for a couple?<br>
(g) Do relationships allow multiple partners?<br>
(h) Should sex be a one-to-one experience? Or are groups allowed?<br>
(i) And, of course, what about homosexuality?  Is  it frowned on? Encouraged?<br>

== XI. Questions of death and burial ==

(a) What is their understanding of death and dying?<br>
(b) Do they cremate their dead? Or, how are dead bodies disposed of?<br>
(c) Is the family  responsible for the body?<br>
(d) What part do the priests play?<br>
(e) Are there cemeteries at all?<br>
(f) Or, does everyone have a crypt in back  with all the relatives in it?<br>
(g) Do people visit the dead?  If so, how often and why?<br>

== XII. Questions of suicide ==

(a) What do people in this culture think about suicide?<br>
(b) Is it the greatest sin one can commit?  Or is it a sin at all?<br>
(c) Is it the great and last comfort of a tormented soul?<br>
(d) Is it worse than murder?<br>

== XIII. Questions of Law, Justice and Police ==

(a) Is there a civilian police force, or is law enforcement the province of the military?<br>
(b) Is the police force a nationalised one, or are there multiple regional forces?<br>
(c) How "military" are they?  Are they usually/ever armed?<br>
(d) What is the extent of their authority?  Can they shoot you? Can they use magic? Can they torture or otherwise force a confession? Can they use telepathy?<br>
(e) Are there individuals or groups who are above the law?<br>
(f) Is there a secret police?<br>
(g) What is the role of police informants, if any?<br>