Anthropological Fieldwork. 2 Fieldwork & Methods Preparation for the Field Adapting to the...

AnthropologiAnthropological cal

FieldworkFieldwork

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Fieldwork & MethodsFieldwork & Methods

Preparation for the FieldPreparation for the Field

Adapting to the Field SituationAdapting to the Field Situation

Establishing a RoleEstablishing a Role

Developing RapportDeveloping Rapport

Methods & Techniques of Data GatheringMethods & Techniques of Data Gathering

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What Preparations What Preparations Must Be Made?Must Be Made?

Define a Research ProblemDefine a Research Problem Select a Research LocationSelect a Research Location Learn the LanguageLearn the Language Read Relevant LiteratureRead Relevant Literature Seek AdviceSeek Advice Write a Research ProposalWrite a Research Proposal Get Government PermissionGet Government Permission Take Medical PrecautionsTake Medical Precautions

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Adapting – 4 PhasesAdapting – 4 Phases

Honeymoon PhaseHoneymoon Phase Anthropologist as “Exotic Outsider”Anthropologist as “Exotic Outsider”

Critical PeriodCritical Period Anthropologist as “Tolerated Stranger”Anthropologist as “Tolerated Stranger”

Initial RecoveryInitial Recovery Anthropologist as “Town Clown”Anthropologist as “Town Clown”

AdjustmentAdjustment Anthropologist as “Marginal Native”Anthropologist as “Marginal Native”

What About Going Native?What About Going Native?

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……always a 5always a 5thth wheel wheel

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Bronislaw MalinowskiBronislaw Malinowski

Hortense PowdermakerHortense Powdermaker

Napoleon ChagnonNapoleon Chagnon

Culture Culture ShockShock

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Jean Briggs – Kapluna DaughterJean Briggs – Kapluna Daughter

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Napoleon Chagnon -- Napoleon Chagnon -- YanomamoYanomamo

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Exoticizing the Cultural Exoticizing the Cultural “Other”“Other”

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First First FieldworkFieldwork1984-851984-85

i

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EntryEntry

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Culture ShockCulture Shock

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Life ShockLife Shock

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Establishing a RoleEstablishing a Role

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Living Living With a With a FamilyFamily

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Developing Trust & Developing Trust & RapportRapport

Lack of understanding on what an Lack of understanding on what an anthropologist isanthropologist is Missionary? CIA agent?Missionary? CIA agent?

Chance eventsChance events Getting beneath the surfaceGetting beneath the surface FactionsFactions

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Methods & TechniquesMethods & Techniquesfor Data Gatheringfor Data Gathering

Participant ObservationParticipant Observation Key InformantsKey Informants Collecting DataCollecting Data InterpretationInterpretation EthicsEthics

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Participant ObservationParticipant Observation

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Participation:Participation: Involvement / immersion; subjectiveInvolvement / immersion; subjective

Observation:Observation: Detachment; objectiveDetachment; objective

Etic:Etic: Outsider’s understandingOutsider’s understanding

Emic:Emic: Insider’s understandingInsider’s understanding

Intellectual BiculturalismIntellectual Biculturalism

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Key InformantsKey Informants

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Analytic InformantsAnalytic Informants

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Immersed InformantsImmersed Informants

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Collecting DataCollecting Data Census & MappingCensus & Mapping

InterviewsInterviews

Eliciting Texts: Eliciting Texts: Oral Histories, Folklore, MythsOral Histories, Folklore, Myths

Genealogies / KinshipGenealogies / Kinship

PhotographyPhotography

Field NotesField Notes

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Mapping, Census & Mapping, Census & SamplingSampling

Ocotillo, Ocotillo, ColimaColima

A small A small villagevillage

1984-911984-91

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PuruarPuruarán, án, Mich.Mich.

A large A large towntown

1998-1998-

presentpresent

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GenealogiGenealogieses

Interview – Puruarán, 2000Name: __________House # _________Close ended:1. How many years have you been a cane

grower?2. How many hectares of cane do you cultivate?3. What is your yield per hectare?4. Do you deliver your cane to Puruarán or

Pedernales?5. Are you able to support your family with

income from your cane?Open ended:35. How did the closing of the sugar mill in 1992

affect the community?36. Did you support the takeover and reopening

of the mill? What did you do?37. Do you think the people in the social

movement are united? Explain. 38. Do you think the struggle for the mill has

been a success? Why or why not?39. What are your thoughts about the way the

cooperative is working?

InterviewinInterviewingg

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Oral Oral HistoriesHistoriesFolkloreFolkloreMythsMyths

PhotographPhotographyy

35. Evaluating how it affected my family, if I was bad off, imagine how it affected the community—even worse. The community is like my family. There was no money and the government didn’t help at all, it only left us dying.

36. I was born here and I have to look out for my town, for the sugar mill. I took part in the demonstrations in Morelia. Two or three hundred of us went. I spent two years working without pay and without eating for love of the struggle.

37. There are many people united, but many are not. Since the beginning there were personal interests involved and there was no justice. They closed the mill and the police entered. We arrived to guard the mill. Then the debacle began. They sacked the machinery. Then another group arrived with different interests. If the people were united, they wouldn’t deliver their cane to Pedernales.

38. I would say yes. Here is the proof. The sugar mill is working and suceeding.

39. It is a failure. Many are disillusioned and lost their spirit, because of the bad management.

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Field Field NotesNotes

March 1, 2000. Interview with Jesús S.Jesús was dressed in jeans and T-shirt. When I ask specific questions, I sense resistance on his part—if I engage him in discussion of larger issues,he is more responsive. He tends to warm up as the interview goes along. He talked about the cooperative. “Here we struggled, we sacrificed. There is more to a cooperative than joining it, you have to carry it in your heart. The cooperative symbolizes hope, democracy, justice, and freedom—that’s what’s important.”February 18, 2000. Interview with Fernando V. Fernando refers to himself as a “humble person.” He has no political aspriations, saying “I am a person of the country.” He showed me scars on his wrist from machete cuts. He never wanted to be comisariado, but serves out of sense of obligation to the community. Fernando is totally opposed to Jesús S. and the way the coop is being run. His primary complaint is that S. does not inform people and he makes all the decisions. “Unfortunately, I am not in agreement with the cooperative.”

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InterpretationInterpretation

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PastoresPastores

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Issues of Validity & Issues of Validity & ReliabilityReliability

Validity: Validity: Dialectic: “Truth” & the mutual construction Dialectic: “Truth” & the mutual construction

of knowledgeof knowledge

Reliability:Reliability: Robert Redfield vs. Oscar LewisRobert Redfield vs. Oscar Lewis Margaret Mead vs. Derrick FreemanMargaret Mead vs. Derrick Freeman Napoleon Chagnon vs. Patrick TierneyNapoleon Chagnon vs. Patrick Tierney Rigoberta MenchRigoberta Menchúú vs. David Stoll vs. David Stoll

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AAA Principles of AAA Principles of Professional Professional

ResponsibilityResponsibility Responsibility to Those Studied:Responsibility to Those Studied:

Rights & interests must be safeguardedRights & interests must be safeguarded Communicate Aims of the investigationCommunicate Aims of the investigation Right to remain anonymousRight to remain anonymous No exploitation of informants for personal gainNo exploitation of informants for personal gain Reflect on foreseeable repercussions of research & Reflect on foreseeable repercussions of research &

publicationpublication Communicate Anticipated consequencesCommunicate Anticipated consequences Reports to sponsors must also be available to those Reports to sponsors must also be available to those

studiedstudied Cooperate with the host community in planning & Cooperate with the host community in planning &

execution of the researchexecution of the research

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Responsibility to the PublicResponsibility to the Public Speak out publicly about research resultsSpeak out publicly about research results

Responsibility to the DisciplineResponsibility to the Discipline Behavior should not jeopardize future researchBehavior should not jeopardize future research

Responsibility to StudentsResponsibility to Students Make students aware of ethical problemsMake students aware of ethical problems

Responsibility to SponsorsResponsibility to Sponsors Honest about qualifications and aims; accept no Honest about qualifications and aims; accept no

conditions that violate the ethical principlesconditions that violate the ethical principles

Responsibility to Own & Host GovernmentResponsibility to Own & Host Government Research should not compromise future researchResearch should not compromise future research