Jeffrey H. Cohen. 2015. Eating Soup without a Spoon: Anthropological Theory and Method in the Real World. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
In Cohen’s book, Eating Soup without a Spoon, the author writes about his experiences working for the first time out in the field. Having spent a year in the village of Santa Ana in Oaxaca, Mexico, Cohen details the process of fieldwork here, the trials, successes, and everyday life involved in anthropological fieldwork. Cohen’s intention in detailing these experiences is to show the reader what anthropological fieldwork is like. This includes personal trials and joys one may experience while in the field, as well as the expected trials and successes of the research one is conducting. Furthermore, …show more content…
As such, I would personally recommend this book to other anthropologists thinking about or preparing for fieldwork themselves, because having knowledge of what to expect when conducting fieldwork is important. Furthermore, because Eating Soup without a Spoon reads more like a personal memoir than an academic book, it has the potential to connect with the reader on a more emotional level. Cohen’s description of the personal, as well as work-related issues he faced in Santa Ana, and his willingness to admit his own failures and missteps, is helpful in truly informing and resonating with the reader. It was enlightening to me, as someone who has not read much about an anthropologist’s personal experience out in the field, and has never much considered the personal, life issues an anthropologist may face when conducting fieldwork, whether or not they are in a culture that is familiar to their own. My only real regret with this book was that I wish Cohen had included more of his research findings from the fieldwork he conducted in Santa Ana. The personal accounts are wonderful, but after hearing about the process of getting them, I did find myself wanting to know more about his findings. However, as is, Eating Soup without a Spoon is an informative- as well as enjoyable- read, and one that would benefit anthropologists just starting out and seasoned fieldworkers
In Cohen’s book, Eating Soup without a Spoon, the author writes about his experiences working for the first time out in the field. Having spent a year in the village of Santa Ana in Oaxaca, Mexico, Cohen details the process of fieldwork here, the trials, successes, and everyday life involved in anthropological fieldwork. Cohen’s intention in detailing these experiences is to show the reader what anthropological fieldwork is like. This includes personal trials and joys one may experience while in the field, as well as the expected trials and successes of the research one is conducting. Furthermore, …show more content…
As such, I would personally recommend this book to other anthropologists thinking about or preparing for fieldwork themselves, because having knowledge of what to expect when conducting fieldwork is important. Furthermore, because Eating Soup without a Spoon reads more like a personal memoir than an academic book, it has the potential to connect with the reader on a more emotional level. Cohen’s description of the personal, as well as work-related issues he faced in Santa Ana, and his willingness to admit his own failures and missteps, is helpful in truly informing and resonating with the reader. It was enlightening to me, as someone who has not read much about an anthropologist’s personal experience out in the field, and has never much considered the personal, life issues an anthropologist may face when conducting fieldwork, whether or not they are in a culture that is familiar to their own. My only real regret with this book was that I wish Cohen had included more of his research findings from the fieldwork he conducted in Santa Ana. The personal accounts are wonderful, but after hearing about the process of getting them, I did find myself wanting to know more about his findings. However, as is, Eating Soup without a Spoon is an informative- as well as enjoyable- read, and one that would benefit anthropologists just starting out and seasoned fieldworkers