Doing Cultural Anthropology

How do we study other cultures?

Ethnography

The major research tool of cultural anthropologyThe gathering and interpretation of informationBased on intensive first-hand studyWritten reports of this study are called

ethnographiesEthnographies are used as a basis for cross-

cultural comparisons

Ethnography

Fieldwork – intensive first-hand studyStructured interviewingUnstructured interviewingCollecting census dataPhotographing and filmingHistorical archivesRecording life histories and geneologiesParticipant-observation

Ethnography

Participant-observation – gathering data by living among the people, observing and participating

Good fieldwork will combine emic and etic views

Ethnography

Consultant – person from whom the anthropologist learns about the culture through observation and interview

Key Consultant – person who has deep knowledge about the culture and serves as connection between anthropologist and community, helping develop connections and relationships

History of Ethnography

Began in last quarter of 19th century Focused on study of small, technologically

simpler societies outside Europe Desire to document societies before they

were changed by Western interaction

History of Ethnography

Cultures seen as progressing from “primitive” to “advanced”

Early comparisons of cultures performed by “armchair anthropologists” who read accounts written by explorers, missionaries, traders

History of Ethnography

In the early 20th century first-hand fieldwork became standard for anthropological research

Academically trained ethnographers studied cultures around the world

Emphasis on fieldwork associated with Boas and Malinowski

History of Ethnography

Franz Boas, father of American anthropologyDiscounted idea that cultures progressed from

“primitive” to “advanced”Promoted in depth field study to get holistic view

of a culture and people

History of Ethnography

Bronislaw Malinowski For an anthropologist to understand another

culture, must learn to think, feel, and behave as a member of that culture

Goal of ethnographic method was to understand the objective reality of a culture by observation performed by a trained, neutral investigator

History of Ethnography

After WWII urban and peasant societies began to be studied as smaller units within a complex society

Now all cultures are functioning in a world where we are influenced by eachother

Postmodernism

Position that all observation is influenced by the observer’s culture and social position

Questions Malinowski’s confidence that properly trained, neutral investigators can understand the true reality of a culture

Postmodernism

Claims that there is no one objective reality Raises question that anthropologist’s

presence may influence the cultureAnthropologist as person of power and statusMay influence power and status of consultants

Ethnographer’s view is just one perspective

Feminist Anthropology

Raises questions about gender bias in ethnography

Early ethnographers were men and focused on male roles and interactions

Cross Cultural Comparison

Looking at many cultures to compare some aspect; religion, family, economicsEthnography basedCross cultural survey – test general concepts

against data from many cultures Human Relations Area File – filing system of

ethnographic data from which random samples can be pulled

Cross Cultural Comparison

Human Relations Area File Promotes formation of hypotheses that can be tested

for statistical significance Lots of data at our fingertips can help prevent

generalizations based on selective memory of ethnographers that have looked at a small number of cultures

But, do statistical relationships indicate causality? (eg. Drinking and financial insecurity)

Dependent on quality of ethnographies in the database

Special Issues and Ethics

Native Anthropologists – studying their own cultureCan be hard to be objective when

investigating own society Impartial researcher or advocate

Special Issues and Ethics

Collaborative EthnographyWhen principal ethnographer invites

consultants from the culture to contribute to the writing of the ethnography

Can create documents that are more meaningful to the research group (eg. Homeless and Narcotics Anonymous)

Special Issues and Ethics

Ethical obligation to protect participantsObtain informed consentProtect from riskRespect privacy and dignity

What we learn is a result of the trust of the people and research may have consequences