The Use of Pigs in Ethnographic Research

The Use of Pigs in Ethnographic Research

The passages in chapter 3 of “The Land of Open Graves” by Jason de León have essential messages that explore the immigrants’ lives as they cross the Sonoran desert. The research was carried out through the use of pigs to study the ethnographic, archaeological, and forensic impacts on the bodies of dead organisms in the desert. The passage I found compelling is on page 64, which focuses on using pigs to study the ethnography of the immigrants. In the passage, Jason de León says that they purchased the pigs in their research, killed them using guns, dressed them up as immigrants, and disposed of them in various ways. This procedure allowed Jason de León and his team to understand what happens after the fatalities that occur in the desert. This passage is compelling because it illustrates the length by which researchers are willing to go to obtain results, illustrates the inhumane demise of immigrants who pass away in the desert, and illustrates how their dead bodies fit into the ecosystem.

In the first instance, the pigs are used to show how important research is to scientists. Jason de León also raises questions about how much he was willing to take the time to study and understand what happens in the desert. In the passage, he questions his actions, such as the purchase of the pigs only to kill them and the dressing up of the pigs as immigrants after they had been killed. Additionally, despite the brutality the pigs face, their purpose is for the greater good, illustrating how inhumane the lives are for the immigrants after they pass away.

In the second instance, the pigs illustrate the inhumane demise of immigrants who pass away in the desert and illustrate how their dead bodies fit into the ecosystem. The pigs serve as illustrations of how nature reacts to the dead bodies and help people understand that the fatalities that occur in the desert can and should be avoided. To conclude, this research bears results that people will appreciate and be awakened from ignorance of the occurrences in the desert.

References

De León, J., & Wells, M. (2015). The Land of Open Graves. University of California Press.

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The Use of Pigs in Ethnographic Research

Please read chapters 3 & 4 in the pdf uploaded below then answer the discussion question:

Discussion Question:

Was there a passage from Chapters 3 or 4 from The Land of Open Graves that you found particularly insightful or compelling? What was it? Why did you find it insightful or compelling?

Textbook:

• The land of open graves: Living and dying on the migrant trail / Jason De León; with photographs by Michael Wells.