Embarking on an adventure of anthropological fieldwork will undoubtedly consist of a plethora of obstacles. At its foundation, fieldwork involves developing rapport with the indigenous people to acquire the access of legitimate and palpable knowledge pertaining to the specific culture being studied. Subsequently, social communication between the anthropologist and the indigenous people is an essential component to the entire nature of fieldwork. Yet at the same time, it is a root of the many problems an anthropologist can encounter while in the field. The cultural background of the anthropologist can often exceedingly contrast the culture he or she enters during fieldwork. Anthropologists have a plethora of different and speculative approaches
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Fieldwork consists of collecting data and information about a particular culture and interacting within the society’s natural environment (Fieldwork 1). From 1915 to 1918, Bronislaw Malinowski voyaged to the Trobriand Islands and conducted almost two years of ethnographic fieldwork (McGee and Warms, 2008, 160). There he discovered the Kula, a trading system of jewelry among various tribes throughout a circle of island cultures, known as the Kula ring (Malinowski, 1961, 1). Malinowski’s article not only discusses the Kula, but also examines the ethnographic framework for studying cultures through fieldwork. Malinowski analyzes how ethnographic fieldwork is recognized as collecting statements and narratives, evaluating the role of the ethnographer, and observation (24). These aspects are vital “to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world” (25). He feels that researchers fail to account for actual experiences in their ethnographies. Similarly, he believes that researchers should apply proper scientific methodologies when collecting qualitative data. Malinowski states that the “ethnographer has to be inspired by the most modern results of scientific study” (8). He explicitly mentions that in ethnography that written data and methods should be “candid” because previous anthropologists have not provided sufficient evidence to the …show more content…
Malinowski emphasizes that if an ethnographer wishes to be trusted, he “must show clearly and concisely, in a tabularised form, which are his own direct observations, and which the indirect information that form the bases of his account” (Malinowski, 1961, 15). Other aims of fieldwork are that anyone should be able to replicate what was observed, as well as that the ethnographer should take part in the culture being studied. In order to conduct reliable ethnographic research, Malinowski says one must be constantly writing. Therefore, the role of the ethnographer is to be a “chronicler and historian at the same time”
Fieldwork consists of collecting data and information about a particular culture and interacting within the society’s natural environment (Fieldwork 1). From 1915 to 1918, Bronislaw Malinowski voyaged to the Trobriand Islands and conducted almost two years of ethnographic fieldwork (McGee and Warms, 2008, 160). There he discovered the Kula, a trading system of jewelry among various tribes throughout a circle of island cultures, known as the Kula ring (Malinowski, 1961, 1). Malinowski’s article not only discusses the Kula, but also examines the ethnographic framework for studying cultures through fieldwork. Malinowski analyzes how ethnographic fieldwork is recognized as collecting statements and narratives, evaluating the role of the ethnographer, and observation (24). These aspects are vital “to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world” (25). He feels that researchers fail to account for actual experiences in their ethnographies. Similarly, he believes that researchers should apply proper scientific methodologies when collecting qualitative data. Malinowski states that the “ethnographer has to be inspired by the most modern results of scientific study” (8). He explicitly mentions that in ethnography that written data and methods should be “candid” because previous anthropologists have not provided sufficient evidence to the …show more content…
Malinowski emphasizes that if an ethnographer wishes to be trusted, he “must show clearly and concisely, in a tabularised form, which are his own direct observations, and which the indirect information that form the bases of his account” (Malinowski, 1961, 15). Other aims of fieldwork are that anyone should be able to replicate what was observed, as well as that the ethnographer should take part in the culture being studied. In order to conduct reliable ethnographic research, Malinowski says one must be constantly writing. Therefore, the role of the ethnographer is to be a “chronicler and historian at the same time”