ch 3 fieldwork and ethnography

ethnographic fieldwork

the unique set of practices that anthropologists have developed to put people first a

cultural shock

a sense of disorientation caused by the overwhelmingly new and unfamiliar people and experiences encountered every day

criticisms of unilinear cultural evolution

too Eurocentric, too ethnocentric, too hierarchical, and lacking adequate data to support its claims

armchair anthropologists

anthropolgists that did not conduct their own research and instead worked at home in their armchairs analyzing the reports of others.

Lewis Henry Morgan was an early exception

salvage ethnography

the rapid gathering of all available material, including historical artifacts, photographs,recording of spoken languages, songs, and detailed information about cultural beliefs and practices

met with small number of elderly informants and focused on conducting oral interviews

Franz Boas approach to ethnography

Franz Boas

used four-field approach and salvage anthropology to study the indigenous Kwakiutl people of PNW

Bronislaw Malinowski

famous of examination of Kula ring(an elaborate system of exchange)

urged anthropologist to stay long at their field site, learn the local language, engage in participant observation, get out into the community, and explore the mundane

participant observation

a key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of the people being studied

synchronic approach

to control experiments by limiting consideration of the larger historical and social context in order to isolate as many variables as possible

E.E Evan-Pritchard

studied the Nuer of Sudan using the synchronic approach

criticized later for failture to consider the historical context and larger social world

Margaret Mead

Famous for challenging fixed gender roles in the United State by finding that gender roles were not in fact biologically determined and were culturally specific( examined teen sexuality in Papua New Guinea)

Zora Neale Hurtson

significant because conducted research on her own black floridan community rather than a distant place and wrote for a popular rather than scholarly audience about her findings

The People of Puerto Rico

an ethnography that marked a turn away from studies of the seemingly isolated, small-scale, nonindustrial societies towards studies that examined the integration of local communities Ito a modern world system

particularly examined the impacts of colonialism and spread of capitalism on local people

Barbara Myerhoff

anthropologist who studied her own Jewish community and marked the border turn in anthropology from the study of other to the study of self (thrice born)

thrice-born

first birth is own culture; second birth is in that of another culture through fieldwork; third birth is rediscovering own culture that is now strange and unfamiliar in a global context

engaged anthropology

application of the research strategies and analytical perspectives of anthropology to address concrete challenges facing local communities and the world at large

argues that social scientists must develop an active, politically committed, and morally engaged practice

annette weiner

revisited Malinowski’s field site and took a feminist spin on what is happening with the Kula ring

demonstrated reflexivity

reflexivity

a critical self-examination of the role of the anthropologist and an awareness that who one is affects what one finds out

anthropologists toolkit

all the information, perspectives, strategies, and equipment that may be needed

literature review

prives crucial background for experiences witnessed during fieldwork

quantitative data

includes statistical information about a community; data that can be measured and compared

ex) population demographics and economic activity

qualitative data

includes information that cannot be counted but may be even more significant for underling the dynamics of a community

ex) persoanl stories/interview, life histories, general observations

rapport

relationships of trust and familiarity with members of the community studies

key informants

people who will be advisors, teachers, and guides who may suggest issues to explore, introduce the community members to interview, provide feedback on research insights, and warn against cultural miscues

life history

traces the biography of a person over time, examining changes in a person’s life and illuminating a network of relationship in the community

surveys

gather quantitative data on key issues and reach broader sample of participants

kinship analysis

a fieldwork strategy of examining interlocking relationship of power built on marriage and family ties

social network analysis

a method of examining relationship in a community, often conducted by identifying whom people turn to in times of need

field notes

the anthropologist’s written observations and reflections on places, practices, events, and interviews

mapping

the analysis of the physical and/or geographic space where fieldwork is being conducted

built environment

the intentionally designed features of human settlement, including buildings, transportation, and public service infrastructure, and public spaces

zeros

elements of a story or a picture that are not told or seen and yet offer key insights into issues that might be too sensitive to discuss or display publicly

mutual transformation

the potential for both the anthropology and the members of the community being studied to be transformed by the interactions of fieldwork

emic

an approach to gathering data that investigates how local people think and how they understand the world

etic

description of local behavior and beliefs form the anthropologist’s perspective in ways that can be compared across cultures

polyvocality

the use of many voices in ethnographic writing, including quotations that allow the reader to hear directly form people in the study and bring to stories to life

informed consent

a key strategy for protecting those being studied by ensuring that they are fully informed of the goals of the project and have clearly indicted their consent to participate

anonymity

protecting the identities of the people involved in a study by changing or omitting their names or other identifying characteristics