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21 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Common Issues in Fieldwork |
• Gaining acceptance in the community • Selecting the most appropriate data-gatheringtechniques • Understanding how to operate within the localpolitical structure • Taking precautions against investigator bias • Choosing knowledgeable informants • Coping with culture shock • Learning a new language • Being willing to reevaluate findings in the light ofnew evidence The study of everyday life in the state of Bahia inBrazil (left) presents different problems andchallenges to the field anthropologist than the studyof village life in Malawi (right). |
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Types of Field Methodology |
§ Qualitative data: • Peopleʼs words, actions, records, and accountsobtained from participant observation, interviews,group interviews, and relevant documents § Quantitative data: • Data that are counted and interpreted throughstatistical analysis |
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Preparing for Fieldwork |
• Obtain funding from a source that supportsanthropological research. • Take the proper health precautions.• Obtain permission or clearance from the hostgovernment. • Become proficient in the local language. • Make arrangements for personal possessionswhile out of the country. |
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Basic Stages of FieldResearch |
• Selecting a research problem • Formulating a research design • Collecting the data • Analyzing the data • Interpreting the data |
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Data-Gathering Techniques |
• Participant-Observation • Interviewing • Census Taking • Mapping • Document Analysis • Collecting Genealogies • Photography |
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Guidelines for Participant-ObservationFieldwork |
• Obtain research clearance nationally and locallybefore beginning. • When introducing oneself, select one role anduse it consistently. • Proceed slowly. • Assume the role of a student wanting to learnmore about a subject on which the people arethe experts. |
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Participant-Observation Advantages |
• Generally enhances support • Enables fieldworkers to distinguish actual from expected behavior • Permits observation of nonverbal behavior |
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Participant-Observation Disadvantages |
• Practical only for small sample size • Difficult to obtain standardized comparable date • Incomplete data due to problems recording information • Obtrusive effect |
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How isEthnographic Interview unique? |
• The interviewer and the subject almostalways speak different first languages. • Much broader in scope because it elicitsinformation on the entire culture • Used in conjunction with other data-gatheringtechniques |
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Structured |
In structured interviews, the interviewer asksall informants the same questions, in the samesequence, and under the same set ofconditions. |
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Unstructured . |
In unstructured interviews, the interviewerasks open-ended questions and allowsinterviewees to respond at their own pace intheir own words. |
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Guidelines forEthnographic Interviewing |
1. Obtain informed consent before interviewing.2. Maintain neutrality by not conveying to theinterviewee what may be the “desired”answer. 3. Pre-test questions to make sure they areunderstandable and culturally relevant. 4. Keep the recording unobtrusive. 5. Make certain the conditions under which theinterviews are conducted are consistent. 6. Use simple, clean, and jargon-free language.7. Phrase questions positively. 8. Keep the questions and the interview short.9. Avoid questions that have two parts to theanswer. 10. Save controversial questions for the end.11. Be sensitive to the need and culturalexpectations of the respondents. |
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Ethnographers in the Field are interested in... |
• Ethnographers in the field are interested in studying all segments of a population. • They would include these Salvadorian children as well as their parents. |
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Applied Field Methods |
• More collaborative and interdisciplinary • More inclusive of local participants • Faced with real-time limitations • Involves new field techniques • Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) • Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) • Rapid Ethnographic Assessment (REA) • Surveys • Focus groups |
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ChoosingData-Gathering Techniques |
• What is the nature of the problem being investigated? • How receptive are the people being studied? |
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Characteristics ofCulture Shock |
• Confusion over how to behave • Surprise or disgust after realizing some of the featuresof the new culture • Feeling a loss of old familiar surroundings and ways ofdoing things • Feeling rejected by members of the new culture • Loss of self-esteem because you donʼt seem to befunctioning very effectively • Frustration at loss of control over situation• Doubt over your own cultural values |
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Narrative Ethnography |
•Also called reflexive ethnography • Narrative ethnographers are not interested in descriptive accounts of another culture written with scientific detachment. • Their ethnographies are reflections of how their own personalities and cultural influences combine with personal encounters with their informants to produce cultural data. |
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Biculturalism |
• The immersion in fieldwork provides opportunities for growth: • Bicultural perspective: The capacity to think and perceive in the categories of oneʼs own culture as well as in the categories of a second culture. |
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The Human RelationsArea Files (HRAF) |
• The worldʼs largest anthropological data bank • Developed for the purpose of testinghypotheses and building theory • Contains ethnographic data on over 300cultures organized according to 700 differentsubjects |
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New Information Technology |
• Internal search engines • Programs for ethnographic analysis • Internet reference pages • Videoconferencing • Internet survey research • Use of social networking websites (Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter) |
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Ethics and AnthropologyAreas of responsibility for anthropologists |
• The people under study • The public • The discipline • Students • Sponsors • Oneʼs own and the host governments |
