Essay on Cultural Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork

Cultural Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork James P. Spradley (1979) described the insider approach to understanding culture as a quiet revolution among the social sciences (p. iii). Cultural anthropologists, however, have long emphasized the importance of the ethnographic method, an approach to understanding a different culture through participation, observation, the use of key informants, and interviews. Cultural anthropologists have employed the ethnographic method in an attempt to surmount several formidable cultural questions: How can one understand anothers culture? How can culture be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed? What aspects of a culture make it unique and which connect it to other cultures? If†¦show more content†¦This interpretation must make meaning from the culture in the same way that natives draw meaning. According to Spradley (1979), the structural components of cultural meaning come from what people say, what they do, and what artifacts they use (p. 9). In anthropological field work, he or she attempts to observe and document these cultural aspects. In addition, and more importantly, the anthropologist must then, as accurately as possible, make inferences which parallel those of the natives. The grandiose task of wearing anothers cultural skin understandably comes with a host of opinions on how such a job can be accomplished. Anthropologists have long argued about the accuracy of ethnographies (Levinson Ember, 1996, pp. 419-21). Much of the discussion stems from the assumption that some cultural aspects are ineffable and subconscious. Can an anthropologist approach his subject, as Spradley argues, with a conscious attitude of almost complete ignorance? Is it possible to consciously withhold ones own cultural interpretations while attempting to study that very thing in another culture? (Spradley, 1979, p. 4 Levinson Ember, 1996, pp. 419-21). Anthropologist Robert M. Keesing, in his essay Not a Real Fish: The Ethnographer as Insider-Outsider, (1992) deals candidly with the problems of fully becoming anShow MoreRelatedFieldwork in Various Anthropological Schools of Thought Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesCultural anthropology is a social science that studies the origins and development of human societies (History World International, 2001). Many theories to explain cultural variations among humans have emerged. As a result, numerous anthropological schools of thought have been established based on these theories since the nineteenth century. These schools of thought encompass the dominant beliefs about culture during a time period and are constantly changing as new knowledge is acquired. As schoolsRead MoreAssignment 3 Anthropology Essay1271 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Chapter 3: Fieldwork on Prostitution in the Era of AIDS 1. Based on reading this selection, how is ethnographic research different from other social science approaches to research? Answer: Ethnographic research is different from other social science approaches to research because it goes more in depth. With an ethnographic research you are required to eat, sleep, and breath what is being studied. In order to get a better understanding you will need to incorporate such living (as that of the cultureRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Mead-Freeman Debate1283 Words   |  6 PagesDebate Research Topic Outline In 1983, Derek Freeman challenged Margaret Mead’s 1928 ethnographic work Coming of Age in Samoa, Freeman asserted that Mead’s conclusion of adolescent behavior conflicted with important facts within the social sciences. 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