Introducing Anthropology. Laura Pountney

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Название Introducing Anthropology
Автор произведения Laura Pountney
Жанр Культурология
Серия
Издательство Культурология
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781509544158



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is ethnography?

       How do practical, ethical and theoretical issues affect the choice of research method?

       What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using participant observation and unstructured interviews?

       To what extent is fieldwork an objective research method?

       How do digital environments and methodologies redefine ethnographic practice?

      Anthropology as a discipline is unique in its commitment to explore human cultures. This chapter discusses only the research methods of social/cultural anthropology. Social anthropologists learn about the culture of another society most distinctively through fieldwork and first-hand observation in that society, although other methods are used as well. Anthropological research involves a range of methods, such as informal (unstructured) interviews, direct observation, participation in the life of the group, collective discussions, analyses of personal documents produced within the group, self-analysis, results from activities undertaken off- or online, and life histories over a prolonged period of time. These kinds of data are rich, detailed and qualitative, offering deep insight into the culture studied.

      fieldwork The firsthand observation of human societies

      informal (unstructured) interviews An unstructured question-and-answer session in which the informant is encouraged to follow his or her own train of thought, wherever it may lead

      These methods are also applied in the newer anthropological subdiscipline of digital anthropology, which explores the impact of digital culture in everyday life. This chapter looks at some of these research methods and at the practical, ethical and theoretical issues that are associated with them.

      Probably the best explanation of what ethnography entails in terms of data collection is given by Martyn Hammersley and Paul Atkinson (2007[1990]: 3):

      Ethnography usually involves the ethnographer participating in people’s daily lives for an extended period of time, watching what happens, listening to what is said, and/or asking questions through informal and formal interviews, collecting documents and artefacts – in fact, gathering whatever data are available to throw light on the issues that are the emerging focus of inquiry.

      assimilation The absorption of an individual or minority group of people into another society or group, achieved by learning and adopting the cultural traditions of the society in which assimilation occurs; it is also often hastened by intermarriage and by de-emphasizing cultural and or biological differences

Problems with ethnography

      Figure 2.1 Problems with ethnography

      There are a number of advantages and limitations in ethnographic research methods. People can be studied when acting in ways they consider normal to them and may not be completely aware that they are being watched.

       ACTIVITY

      Define ethnography.

      What is assimilation?

      What role do you think the anthropologist should play when researching, and why?

      Read the list of problems in Figure 2.1. Can you think of any others?

      Put the problems in order of importance; be ready to justify your reasons.

      What are the strengths of ethnographic research?

      Anthropology – the study of ‘humanity’ – grew from the intersection of European discovery, colonialism and natural science. In the early nineteenth century, anthropologists were interested in reconstructing the stages of social and cultural evolution. Early anthropologists such as Edward Burnett Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan published influential works tracing everything from writing systems to marriage practices, from their primitive beginnings to the more complex modern state. Originally, anthropology was thought of as a discipline concerned with studying the ‘savage’. This meant that anthropologists researched societies that had either already, or would soon become, dominated territories within the European empires. By the beginning of the twentieth century, anthropologists were no longer content to rely on the accounts of non-specialists, such as colonial officials, missionaries and travellers, for their primary data, and they began themselves to go into ‘the field’ as ethnographers to gather information at first-hand. Observations made during the colonial era were later seen as flawed, as they had at their heart the idea that Western civilization represented the pinnacle of human evolution and that all other ways of life were inferior.

      A founder of ethnographic fieldwork

      Bronislaw Malinowski (1884–1942) is often called the father of ethnography. The role of ethnography for him was to grasp the ‘native’s’ point of view. He worked among the Trobriand Islanders, studying kinship, trade and the practical purposes of ritual and religion, as well as the connection between cultural ideals and actual daily behaviour. There, he developed his style of fieldwork, which came to be called participant observation: speaking the language, living in and becoming part of the community, making a detailed record of all aspects of ‘native’ life. Malinowski’s close experience with Trobriand society generated a growing awareness of the various links that hold society together. Participant observation emerged as the primary approach to ethnographic research and relied on the development of personal relationships with local informants as a way of learning about a culture, involving both observing and participating in the social life of a group. By living with the cultures they studied, these researchers were able to formulate first-hand accounts of their lives and gain new insights.

      participant observation When a researcher takes part in the everyday life of the group while observing it

      informant