Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

Guidelines for preparing PROPOSAL FOR FIELDWORK

What is a field?

The setting or place or group in which or among which you will conduct your project of anthropological inquiry

What is fieldwork?

All the activities you will carry out in the process of learning about the topic/group/practice you wish to understand better

“working in the field means talking to people, listening, observing, recording, taking notes, participating in the activities, reflecting, writing, searching for connections to other ideas, reviewing literature (all of the above, etc.)

Research versus Cultural Documentation

“Research” and “Documentation” share a few things in common: both are methods of investigation; employ systematic process; collect information; require care and diligence

“Research” and “Documentation” differ in some important ways: research leans heavily in the direction of discovery of facts and testing of theories; documentation is primarily about conveying information, establishing a record of verifiable evidence.

In the assignment for this class you are being asked to engage in a project of cultural documentation (or ethnographic inquiry) not in a “research” investigation per se.

Requirements for the chosen field project:

Must be a current, living community (not in the past; not through books or films only)

Must offer easy accessibility for you to be able to “participate” and “observe” (i.e. avoid any settings that require extensive permitting process to enter or conduct investigation)

Must be something that interests you. When something intrigues you, it is probably worth investigating. Common areas of research: ethnic groups, occupations, religious communities, styles or trends, social habits, food, hobbies, artistic expressions, traditions, objects and material culture.

Avoid any topics that have the potential to pose complex ethical dilemmas (of confidentiality, undue psychological stress to people asked to be interviewed/observed, put you in dangerous settings, have the potential to harm anyone’s or any community’s reputation or wellbeing).

For the purpose of the PROPOSAL, you can go ahead and propose what you are thinking NOW --if you are not 100% sure about any of the 4 points above, go ahead and write your proposal as best as you can with what you know. Dr. Alvarez and Sarah WILL GIVE YOU FEEDBACK and help you address anything that needs re-thinking.

Information to include in your proposal:

What are you interested in learning more about (in subjecting to a more systematic analysis than just casual knowledge)?

What is your connection to this topic; your positionality (insider or outsider)?

What are 2 or 3 interesting things YOU THINK you will find when you look further into this practice?

Where’s the “culture” in this thing you hope to document? What are 2 or 3 habits, rituals, words, behaviors, beliefs YOU THINK (from what you know now) that may come up as important in your documentation?

Do you have access to this group? Person? Practice? How? Who would be your main narrators (i.e. “informants”)?

What techniques of ethnography are you planning on using? Interviews…(up to 5)….participate in the activity….observation…..video/photography…..