What is fieldwork?
an extended period of close involvement with the ppl in whose way of life anths are interested, during which anths ordinarily collect most of their data.
What does fieldwork involve?
ethnographic fieldwork is an unusual way of collecting data. it provides an opportunity for ppl from diff cultures to learn about one another. anths have an ethical responsibility to host societies.
What is participant observation?
the method anths use to gather info by living and working with the ppl whose culture they are studying while participating un their lives as much as possible. helps you to gain a holistic pic of the culture. gives context to what you read about before starting fieldwork. (anths usu read published material beforehand and then go and do fieldwork).
How does one prepare for fieldwork?
a lot of fieldworkers underestimate how much time it takes to prepare and do. need to have a focused study topic before going. select a site, research available material. develop a research proposal. logistics of getting to and living in the field. obtain institutional approval and acquired visa. obtain funding - grants. ethics clearance - ERBs.
What is the relationship btwn the anth and the informant?
fieldwork changes both anth and informant (can be difficult to predict how). effects on informants and research assistants range from economic to existential (hiring and paying them). these effects can be temporary but can often linger long after the anth has left ie now a hole left bc theyre gone.
What are the ethics involved in fieldwork?
do no harm. informed consent - ppl can be distrustful of signing written gov docs. anonymity - concealing ID of informants and ppl communicated with to avoid harm (ie that anth who went to rural ireland and didnt properly conceal ppls identity and they all found out and were very mad). accessibility - make research accessible to others and the community you were working with.
How can fieldwork affect the anth?
experience culture shock in the field. can also face reverse culture shock when they come home.
What is culture shock?
unfamiliar settings and customs causing anxiety, disorientation, limited support network.
What is reverse culture shock?
not fitting in at home anymore, or being uncomfortable with normal practices.
Where did the prof do her fieldwork and what was it like?
in Malawi. she lived with a family there. had research assistants who helped her communicate with informants. encountered many creatures there. doesnt like the big spiders.
How scientific is participant observation?
the instrument is the anth. the study has to be internally coherent, and replicable, also cant be faked. prior to the 20th century anths were armchair or veranda anths who wouldnt go and actually do their own fieldwork.
Where was participant observation invented and by who?
the US - Franz Boas with the Kwakiutl, and england - Bronislaw Malinowski with the trobriand islanders. also Margaret mead in the US did some with the american samoans and was the first to start using film.
What is positivism?
the view that there is an objective reality out there that can be detected through the senses and that there is a single, appropriate scientific method for investigating that reality. the goal is to produce objective knowledge. science is supposed to be value free and therefore objective.
What is objective knowledge?
knowledge about reality that is absolute and true for all ppl, in all times and places.
How is positivism involved in anth?
hard to do bc need to have a control condition and objective insight. involves controlled comparisons. involves the paradox of the positivistic approach.
What is controlled comparison?
comparing cultures that are sim and constant. this was systematic, probably accurate, definitely insensitive. its hard to treat ppl like theyre subjects in a test tube.
What is the paradox of the positivistic approach?
results are not value free when humans are both the subjects and the instruments of data collection (therefore not positivistic bc not objective). if you want to record objective knowledge you have to do it as if youre not involved which isnt possible bc anths are all personally involved in fieldwork simply by being present and asking ppl questions.
What are the new methods of anth after positivism?
anthropology as dialogue and recognition of dissent (opinions diff from those commonly held, so difference in opinions btwn cultures). field data are neither objective nor subjective, but intersubjective.
What is intersubjective?
collaborated on by a lot of ppl that agree on it. so not quite objective (true for everyone) but not quite subjective (personal opinion).
What is Emic?
explaining a cultures behaviour from their perspective. so what do the ppl of a culture think and feel about the things they do. using the perspective of the culture being studied. often collected using participant observation. guards against ethnocentrism.
What is Etic?
explaining a cultures behaviour fomr the perspective of an outsider. using the perspective of an outside observer. scientific in tone and contextualized by historic events. anths share etic perspectives with one another.
What is an example of emic and etic perspactives?
when looking at a culture who picks cotton as a living. would see they do intercropping and an emic perspective would see why from a person in the culture, an etic perspective would look at more historically why that would be. ie they do it by interspersing sugar cane for the workers to snack on when harvesting, would get different reasoning why this is done depending on if its an emic or etic perspective.
What is reflexivity?
critically thinking about the way one thinks; reflecting on ones own experience. need to acknowledge own biases and values and assumptions and how they influence research and observations. asking qs about why a culture does certain things. tends to result in more objectivity. anth has taken a reflexive turn since the 70s. reflexive knowledge is situated, which means making explicit exactly who you are as an anth. these factors shape relationships in the field, so providing this info increases accuracy. ie there may be things that M anths cant ask Fs bc not approp in that culture, so not getting the full picture. ex is Bronislaw not reporting on women and banana leaves which were an nb part of the culture bc the men said it was womens business which he interpreted to mean not nb bc of his own cultural knowledge and assumptions.
What is ethnographic authority?
asking who gave anths the authority to speak for others. early anths didnt question their authority to speak for and about the cultures of their informants. they were doing salvage anth, which was seen as preserving dying cultures during rapid world change. they projected scientific omniscience while leaving out the experiences of large swathes of the societies they studied. later gens of anths began to question this, and to use polyvocality in their ethnographies.
