How to Do Field Research for Anthropology
Nobody has yet been able to explain the phenomenon, but those who choose anthropology as a career invariably stumble into one culture that fascinates above all others. That fixation serves as a base from which papers are researched, written and presented, but there comes a time when textbooks and oral histories won't suffice. It's at this point that cultural anthropologists opt to tackle field research---a romantic-sounding process that's fraught with unexpected surprises that regularly prove as mysterious as the culture being observed.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Undergrad coursework or degree
- Funding
- Notebooks/pens or computer
- Passport/visa
- Immunizations
- Data backup system
- Minimal possessions
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose the right time to start your field research. Traveling to an exotic destination ill-prepared to correctly gather data or live among the group you've chosen as your focus is a recipe for disaster. Strive to complete the majority of your anthropological training before you consider doing fieldwork.
-
2
Understand the role of the "participant observer" as you live among the society you've chosen. Keep a diary or notebook or use a computer (if electricity is available) to record experiences. Commit yourself to maintaining objectivity so you don't influence, change or alter the way the group functions, as this is admittedly one of the biggest problems anthropologists experience when they're conducting research in another society.
-
-
3
Apply for grant funds to underwrite your fieldwork. Approach philanthropic groups. Query anthropology professors about funding sources available through the university or via research foundations. Raise funds on your own if you come up short. Apply for a passport, visas and other documents required for overseas locations. Follow U.S. State Department directives for immunizations. Pack thoughtfully as you may have no place to store your "stuff" at your destination.
-
4
Leave your expectations home as you analyze, record and draw conclusions about the mores, rituals, values, perspectives and attitudes found among your study subjects. Use both types of standard anthropological data-gathering methods during your fieldwork experience: 1) Take notes during conversations, interviews and other face-to-face encounters to obtain the most accurate data. 2) Leave writing supplies behind and record data later, understanding that some information won't be as specific and detailed as you might wish.
-
5
Use social cues in addition to communication to conduct your anthropological research. Look for reactions, facial indicators, body language and other physical clues in addition to the music, art, religion, celebrations, class structure and gender roles of the society. Put aside your judgments as they can cloud objectivity.
-
6
Take precautions with your notes so you don't risk losing months of work. Find clever ways to back up and safeguard daily investigative results if you're keeping manual notes---for example, emulate the anthropologist who took carbon paper and a fireproof cash box on his year-long fieldwork assignment so he always had a second set of notes.
-
7
Follow ethical standards as recommended by the anthropological profession. Be truthful with your subjects about your job. Code subjects' names in your notes to protect identities if those you're studying have access to your research. Request help from the American Anthropological Association if you require a copy of a well-written ethics code.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Native American/ First Nation People Totem Carving image by Paul Knott from Fotolia.com
