Chapter 3 Anthropology

How did the American Anthropological Association's "do no harm" mandate come into existence?

Questions about the ethical and moral behavior of anthropologists toward the end of the twentieth century led to changes in attitude about their roles and responsibilities with respect to informants

Which of the following is an example of engaged anthropology?

Shannon Speed's work with the Indigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico, in their fight for the return of their ancestral lands and protection of human rights

How did Annette Weiner, a feminist anthropologist, challenge preexisting theories in anthropology?

She conducted a restudy of the Trobriand Islands and, by recognizing that Malinowski's age and gender influenced what he had observed, drew new conclusions about gender roles.

An anthropologist conducts ethnographic research on the lives of undocumented immigrant families. How might the anthropologist justify publishing intimate and potentially incriminating details about the subjects

The researcher must have obtained informed consent and ensured the anonymity of the subjects.

Fieldwork is considered a scientific approach to understanding human societies. However, because it involves adaptation, intuition, and interpretation, it is also considered

art

The introduction of global communication methods means anthropologists' work is now read by new audiences worldwide. What implications does this have with respect to writing and publishing ethnography?

Anthropologists must consider that members of informant communities may read their publications and that they will expect their communities to be accurately portrayed and their concerns appropriately expressed.

Fieldwork is often considered a rite of passage for students. Why might this be the case?

Fieldwork uncovers one's own ethnocentrism and helps the anthropologist develop a sense of deep empathy for others.

One recent development in ethnography is a process called "full disclosure," in which anthropologists can discuss the length of fieldwork and their relationships with their research subjects. This is seen as valuable because it

clarifies the nature of ethnographic authority.

Ethnology is the process of __________ and can be used to examine activities, trends, and patterns of power across cultures.

comparison

Anthropologists conducting fieldwork may experience a particular kind of disorientation from the "strangeness" they discover. Which term is used to describe this experience?

culture shock

By taking a(n) ________ approach, you are studying a culture from the outside looking in

etic

What perspective do anthropologists use in their ethnographies when they want to take a zoomed-out approach to describing the culture they work with to make comparisons and larger analyses?

etic

What change in the late twentieth century has allowed anthropologists to continue research even after leaving the field?

improved communication and transportation

What do anthropologists call community members who guide, advise, and teach the ethnographer during fieldwork?

key informants

Increased migration has led anthropologists to conduct ethnographic research in new ways, such as collecting data in two or more locations. What type of ethnography is this?

multisited

During the 1960s and 1970s, how was anthropology's role in colonialism viewed, and why?

negatively—for providing information to the military and depicting colonial subjects as unable to govern themselves

Attempts to document Native American cultures that anthropologists feared would disappear with the westward expansion of settlers are called salvage ethnography. This method involves

rapidly gathering available material and key interviews.

One way in which anthropologists try to protect informants' anonymity is by

referring to individuals in both research notes and publications using alternate names or codes.

Franz Boas's commitment to historical particularism when investigating local cultures is credited as defining which two characteristics of American anthropology?

the four-field approach and cultural relativism

Anthropologists can collect information, select which people to highlight, and choose which facts to publish in their results. What key aspect of writing ethnography does this clearly illustrate?

the reality that all anthropological inquiry is a form of interpretation

You are conducting fieldwork and invite local heads of household to a focus group. During the conversation you realize that key details are not being discussed. These crucial details are referred to as

zeros

Which research question best fits Nancy Scheper-Hughes's fieldwork in Alto do Cruzeiro?

Why do mothers refuse to grieve when their babies die?

The anthropological practice of sharing ethnographic information on particular communities with nonanthropological institutions such as the military has been questioned within the discipline of anthropology under

a directive called "do no harm."

Which of the following is an example of a zero?

a mother's avoidance of discussing her children's deaths

ethnographic fieldwork

a primary research strategy in cultural anthropology involving living with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives

On arriving at a new site for ethnographic research, you spend time walking through the small village complex where you live. What useful ethnographic information do you discover in doing this?

a spatial awareness of where people live, work, worship, play and eat