ABSTRACT
In ethnographic identity work, stark differences between individuals are highlighted. Classically, such identity markers as race, class, gender serve as contrasts with the ethnographer’s own ‘home’ culture. In such cases, there is an implied hierarchical structure contrasting the home culture of the ethnographer with the ‘exotic’ culture of the comparative culture. When the differences are stark, it seems, comparisons appear more obvious; when differences are more subtle – as in moving between one English-speaking country and another – discovering ‘difference’ and ‘similarity’ can sometimes be more 1) time consuming, and 2) confusing.
In this piece, I look at markers and exemplars of aspects of ‘bloke’ or ‘mate’ culture in Aotearoa/New Zealand from the perspective of a so-called ‘Permanent Resident’ raised and biased by a United States’ upbringing. Using a fictionalized writing approach, I story some of the experiences of male-to-male relationships, particularly in sport culture, that are both similar and different between the various instantiations of these two cultures.
