Anthropology week 2 Lecture 1 Notes

Flashcards based on Anthropology lecture notes.

Anthropological Fieldwork

Firsthand observation of, and direct immersion into the culture or people a researcher is trying to understand.

What is the Value of Fieldwork and what surrounds it (where does it fit?)

Insights that would not be possible with short visits, surveys, or brief interviews. Emic and Etic

Emic Perspective

Allows insights that would not be possible with short

visits, surveys, or brief interviews

Can also relate to Native point of view (insider’s perspective)

Etic Perspective

Seeing culture through an outsider's lens.

Pro: Might uncover things even locals couldn’t see

Con: Consent can’t always be given for Participant observation

Participant Observation

Disciplined hanging out.

Where the researcher becomes a professional stranger (building rapport with the locals)

Fieldnotes

Any information that the anthropologist writes down or transcribes during fieldwork.

Interviews

Any systematic conversation with an interlocutor to collect field research data.

Key Interlocutors

A person who aids the anthropologist in their research.

Intersubjectivity

Knowledge about other people emerges out of intersubjective relationships and perceptions individuals have with each other.

AAA Core Principles (2012 Statement)

Do not harm, be open and honest, obtain informed consent, weigh competing ethical obligations, make your results accessible, protect and preserve your records, maintain respectful relationships.

Ethical Concerns Guiding Anthropologists

Do no harm, obtain informed consent, ensure anonymity, make results accessible.

Polyvocality

Include multiple voices in writing.

Reflexivity

Self-analysis of the researcher's position.

Ethnographic authority

Establishing credibility to write about a culture.

Undoing Anthropology

Anthropology is ineluctably tied to histories of colonialism and dispossession.

Decolonizing the Discipline

Reassess the discipline, colonial practices, diversify departments, and teach anthropology differently.

How does Anthropological Fieldwork relate to Emic

Anthropological Fieldwork is firsthand experience and immersing yourself into the culture to understand the reasons for the practices, while Emic is the viewpoint of the person of the culture.