Ethnography

Throughout my education in anthropology numerous theories and practices have aided in formulating my future endeavors. Knowledge in the four sub-fields of anthropology strengthened my understanding of multidisciplinary concepts. Anthropology, as the study of human beings has contributed to my comprehension on the importance of collaboration. With my degree in cultural anthropology, I hope to work in community outreach. This essay will discuss the anthropological concepts of: cultural relativism,…

What struck me about this week’s readings was the relationship between ethnographic voices via locale (in all its various meanings) and positionality. I am glad these were specifically ordered, as Linda Alcoff’s questions – who should be speaking for whom? Are ethnographers always the best interpreters? Should the insider authority of the subaltern always be assumed? What kind of violence is being done through this kind of professional/privileged ethnographic interpretation? And what kind of…

Sterk’s article discusses the field methodologies practiced by ethnographers; to make the report applicable to readers, she discussed her personal project and how she applied ethnographic methodologies. Sterk studied deinstitutionalized adults, which refers to those with mental disabilities that challenge daily life practices. Her project began with a general formative theory; people who are confidently able to exercise survival skills are better community members than those with mental…

Chapter 1 provides a definition and discussion of participate observation. This chapter explores the research method of participate observation, which involves a researcher who is interested in a certain group of people taking part in their daily activities, rituals and events in order to gain a holistic understanding of their life and culture. The chapter mentions that Malinowski is responsible for developing the method of participate observation. Although some anthropologist such as Tedlock…

Although I managed to acquire enough information to formulate these conclusions, I encountered a couple of significant challenges in the pursuit of this data. Prior to starting my field work, I was quite naïve about gaining informants. I assumed since there were so many people working at the memorial, I would be able to talk with them and gain some useful information. However, within a week, I was informed of the official memorial policy, which stated that staff members, be they tour guides,…

The idea of someone in a lab coat doing experiments in a lab brings about a certain type of thinking towards research. The stereotype makes many people feel as though there is only one way to learn something new, or to conduct research. To many people who took any science classes in high school or even elementary, they’ve been taught that all research must be unbiased and that there must be a control involved. That isn’t always true, not everything has to be black in white. In fact,…

How does enculturation vary by ethnicity when observed in a diverse multicultural place such as Westminster mall? This paper describes my ethnographic work and study of the people I analyzed at Westminster mall on April 28, 2016. In the Cultural Anthropology book Welsch and Vicanco state that “Since the 1960’s cultural anthropologists have focused more intensively on the symbolic lives of people in all societies. I learned that there is many types of ethnicities and every ethnicity does…

Anthropology is the study of what makes us human and helps us further understand each other in a way for us to continue to coexist in the world. American anthropology is generally divided into four main sub fields that each serve an important purpose. They have different skills involved but have some similarities to them. Anthropologists take a far-reaching approach to comprehending the many altered aspects of the human experience, which we call holism. Through archaeologic anthropology, they…

Rebecca McKenney Introduction to Humanities Mr. Mansur 8 September 2016 Listening Log: Jeff Lynne’s ELO John Stickley (host of National Public Radio’s World Café) talks with Jeff Lynne on the January 8th episode of World Café. During the interview, Lynne talks about his career as a producer, his relationships with other artists, and the newest Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) album Alone in the Universe. Stickley mentions that Lynne has “never really been a fan of playing live. I gusee it has to…

The intended research objective of the study was to demonstrate the states central role in the labor process by looking at racialized and gendered aspects of stat policies, especially in the U.S. Mexico border region. Munoz recognized that even though there have been studies regarding comparison of the labor process between different countries but felt they were leaving other parts of the story out. More specifically, how depending on gender, race and immigration status shape the working…