The passage discusses the differences between popular American culture and remote indigenous cultures that are only impacted by local folkways. It uses the example of Lauren Bohannon, who studied under the pseudonym Elenore Smith Bowen, and her experience living with the Tiv tribe in Western Africa. The Tiv have a very communal lifestyle focused on agriculture. Witchcraft also plays a central role in Tiv culture for maintaining social order. Studying the Tiv challenged Bowen's assumptions and forced her to reevaluate her ethnographic methods and understanding of what it means to be an anthropologist.