Fieldwork and Methods

ethnography

• long-term study of a culture or society

• based on fieldwork

Bronislaw Malinowski

• Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea), 1914-1918

• “The father of ethnography” - but problematic

Kula trade

• a non-market economy studied by Malinowski in the mid-1910s

• Focus on the function of male exchange

Annette Weiner

• Studied in the Trobriand Islands in the 1970s

• Research with women and their economic pratices

Participant Observation

taking part in community life, participating in the events one is observing, describing, and analyzing

interviews

structured or informal face-to-face interactions between ethnographer and people, utilizing open-ended questions

cultural consultants

• also called informants, research participants

• people who teach an ethnographer about their culture

genealogical method

the use of diagrams and symbols to record kin connections

life histories

a personal portrait of someone’s life in a culture

longitudinal, multi-sited and term research

• long-term study, usually based on repeated visits

• research sites may be in multiple locations

• may take place as part of team research - coordinated research by multiple ethnographers

ethical problem-oriented activist/engaged

• based on informed consent

• contemporary ethnographic fieldwork is often aimed at one issue or topic

• some anthropologists practice activist or ‘engaged’ anthropology