Chapter 1: What are the challenges in ethnographic fieldwork, and how is ethnographic research changing?

Ethnographer

lives with the study group for an extended period; the field anthropologist is a stranger in a strange land

Public anthropology

presenting anthropological knowledge to the general public & generic public discourse

Transmedia

telling a story using multiple platforms (e.g., hardcover novel, social media)

Inequality

unequal access among individuals, usually to wealth, power, & status, but also on the basis of gender, class, & so on

Collaborative and participatory approach

working with a community to solve problems, e.g., egalitarian health care

Gender

a cultural construct that gives us our social identity, status, & roles in society based on our sexual identity (e.g., male or female) & expected gender roles in society

Culture shock

a feeling of disorientation, confusion, & irritability that results from living in an unfamiliar foreign environment

Key informant

a knowledgeable member of a culture who supplies information to an ethnographer

Ethical dilemma

a problem in the decision-making process between two possible options, neither of which is absolutely acceptable from an ethical perspective

Participant observation

a research method whereby an anthropologist lives with the study group, learns its language, & participates in its daily activities

Fieldwork

involves an anthropologist moving into the study group & beginning the long process of collecting descriptive data on the group's daily activities; essential to anthropology

Multi-sited ethnography

research that is carried out in more than one place, often following the transnational flow of people, & may involve a comparative approach

Rite of passage

rituals that mark important stages in an individual's life, for example, puberty

Sex

the biological distinction between people, based on genitalia & reproduction

Ethnography

the end result is a written description of the people & their way of life; a detailed descriptive account of the daily lives of a cultural group

Quantitative research

the gathering of statistical & measurable data

Applied anthropology

the practical application of anthropological knowledge, expertise, & skills to help solve societal problems

Cultural relativism

the principle that each culture & its practices are unique & valid in their own right & must be viewed within the context of that culture

Ethics

the rules that anthropologists follow when conducting research. The primary rule is to "do no harm". Anthropologists have an obligation to protect the privacy of their study group, uphold the integrity of anthropology, & meet the needs of their funding agency, which may cause conflicting loyalties or an ethical dilemma

Virtual ethnography

the study of online communities

Qualitative research

the use of interviews, documents, & participant-observation data, rather than statistics & other quantifiable data. This type of research is most often used to explain human social behavior