insider/outsider

I had really limited knowledge of the insider/outsider issue before doing the readings and having the class discussion.  Before I really felt that only insiders should really be writing about their own culture.  Now I am not sure exactly where I stand.  

Obviously I think that some of the best accounts of different cultures will come from people who are members of that culture and who have had the experiences that they are writing about.  Like we said in class if I had to learn about Asian American culture and I had to choose between an Asian American or a Caucasian American who study the culture I will most likely choose the Asian American because I feel like I could get a more genuine recount of the their culture.  

However, I also think that someone can experience another culture and then write about it accurately.  But then we get into the question of are they then and insider or an outsider?  That is a fine line that I cannot draw.  If I go to Italy and live and immerse myself in the culture for a couple years would I still be considered an outsider?  If I grow up Catholic and then convert to Jewish am I an insider in the Jewish culture or would I still be considered an outsider?  These questions are beyond any answer I have but it plays a critical role in the insider/outsider debate.  

I think it is also important to look at culture as more than race.  Cai notes in her article that "multicultural" means more than the many ethnicities we encounter.  I think when people think of culture they automatically think of ethnicity but it goes beyond that to encompass gender, class, religion, sexual orientation among other.  

I hope this leaves you with some things to think about.