Approaching Things Anthropologically PDF document

THE FINAL PROJECT: A BRIEF GUIDE

TO APPROACHING THEMES ANTHROPOLOGICALLY

Let us review some basics about anthropological research by looking at definitions from Buck’s

textbook.

Anthropology - The study of humans, past and present. Cultural anthropology focuses on how people in

various parts of the world organize and govern themselves, and the meanings they create as they deal with

the world they live in (page 1).

Ethnography - A book, article, or film that makes an anthropological description or analysis of a particular

culture. (page 2).

Participant observation - An anthropological research method in which researchers live among the people

whose culture they are studying. (page 3)

Fieldwork - The process of studying the way of life of a particular group of people or of people in a

particular situation by living with them. (page 4)

The guide below provides a summary on methods of ethnography and participant observation,

and fieldwork strategies that you can use in thinking about your final project.

CONTEXT

Identify a setting, situation, or activity during the lockdown. We are limited by the COVID-19 in

exploring fieldsites. However there are still many aspects of daily life that could be explored

even when we are social distancing. Religious and sporting events are still being held online.

People still shop and visit the hospital, etc. People have taken up hobbies and we are still taking

classes.

ETHICS

Consider your impact on your chosen context. Are you conducting participant observation in

your own home, family, or community? Is the setting you would like to investigate an online

public place (such as online forum) that does not require you to inform people that they are being

observed? If needed, how might you inform people that they are part of a research project? Is it

appropriate to take pictures, videos, or sound recordings?

TIME

Remember that this is an introductory class. You do not need to conduct a full-blown

ethnographic research that will take up all of your time. Commit to a reasonable amount of time

for conducting research for your project. If you are observing the impact of online classes on

students during the lockdown, you might observe a small group of 5 members for a week (make

you to seek consent) and interview them for 30 mins each. If you want to look at your own

family’s changing dynamic during the lockdown, family conversations over dinners work as

excellent source of primary ethnographic data. Write down fieldnotes, and don’t forget to seek

consent from people you are observing.

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Buck’s definition of participant observation might not apply during the lockdown as we might

not be living now with the group that we are investigating. It is completely acceptable in

anthropology to observe human interaction in the digital sphere. We can also observe human

interaction in public events (please refer to the paragraph on ethics above). “Auto-ethnography”

is a form of ethnography focused on one’s experience – and this is also acceptable to do for this

project.

Observers attempt to uncover and record the unspoken common-sense assumptions on themes

that they are studying. If you are investigating how women seem to be taking up more

housework during the lockdown, you might record the work that women in your household do.

You might also invite them for an interview as what they have to say might support or contradict

your observations. Do not assume you know what these are. Allow your data to come from “the

field” not from your assumptions about “the field” and the people and activities you plan to find

there.

WRITE. DRAW. SKETCH

Field notes are research data that anthropologists collect. Field notes should be more than

writing; drawing maps and sketching activities is often very useful when trying to remember the

details of what you have seen. If you are investigating changing shopping practices during the

pandemic, you might want to include notes about body language, environment, and noise. What

is going on around this context that may be shaping it? What’s happening with people that may

be shaping the context?

WRITING IT UP AS YOU GO

As you are observing and participating, you should take notes or quick jottings (handwritten

or digital depending what’s most appropriate).

THINK ABOUT POWER

Consider how power is located in the practices you are observing, as well as your abilities to

participate and observe within it. How are the data you’ve collected related to the themes

discussed in the course materials? How can the data you collected be EXPANDED and

EXAMINED using your fieldnotes and reading materials from the course.

OUTPUT

In the process of conducting research, you would be collecting fieldnotes, drawings, video, notes

from readings, excerpts from scholarly texts that you read, interviews with informants, etc. What

is the media that works best for articulating your findings based on the rich data that you have

collected?

Good luck 😊

Acknowledgements: This document draws from the guidelines for doing anthropological projects written by Dr.

Jennifer Johnson.