Heinemann's Ethnographic Fieldwork: Chapter Analysis

Heinemann’s ethnographic fieldwork was comprehensive and enlightening. Each chapter was packed full of ethnographic material. She used it to define individual examples but she also used it to create story lines and common threads that wound their way through all of the chapters. As is clear in the above chapter analysis she has followed many ethnographic tales. The Saiz’s, Grace and Zoe being just some examples of the recurring characters that threaded their way through this text. It was easy to follow the ethnographic characters as Heinemann proceeded through the book would place chapter references next to names so the reader could track the interviewee back through the chapters. For example in Chapter for Heinemann when referring to a discussion …show more content…
The text is based in American ethnographic fieldwork, which makes the American theme essential to the text. What I pose from a critical perspective is that the text at times does not fully explain American concepts of healthcare laws and systems. There was some explanation through out the text regarding healthcare systems but unless you were familiar with the American healthcare system sometimes links between finances and the transplant networks became ambiguous, especially in regard to the specifics of medicare. Examples such as the Supplemental Security Income program and Medicare being two such cases. This lack of explanation and lack of understanding as a reader tainted the overall flow of the book because I found I had to locate resources to explain the basic concepts of the American healthcare system. Conclusively if the reader is an insider and understands the American healthcare system then this book is a very insightful read. If you are an outsider, not familiar with the American healthcare system then the read of this book is still good just at times more challenging when trying to understand the nuances of the health care …show more content…
Rather than mentioning Ingold’s (2011) theory again it really resonates through out the text as Heinemann shifts through each chapter. In chapter two for example the insights Grace provided into links past lives and how she has navigated forward to live a happy and fulfilled life with her husband Kevin. This is an example of “wayfaring” she has adjusted to a new way of life and traversed her transplant journey in a similar manner. It was mentioned in chapter four when Heinemann discussed Blaine’s navigation of the nuances of caring for but also being a patient. Aside from this there is only a reference made to it the ‘Conclusion’. I believe it warranted more analysis because the idea of navigating lines especially through the bureaucracy of the American health care system really shapes peoples trajectories in life and really under pins the entire