Essay on Reflexivity and Modern Works of Anthropology

Off the Veranda by Bronislaw Malinowski is a documentary that begins to discuss the start of his upcoming in the field of anthropology, the people of Trobriand Island and Functionalism. In the start of the Documentary we learn Malinowski began his field work by studying the Mailu people. During his work he was studying the natives afar from a Veranda. We learn that in order to fully understand the society of the Mailu; Malinowski believes he needs to learn their native language. Ultimately he decides to start afresh by studying the people of Trobriand Island. During the beginnings of his encounters he began to understand what it takes to be a member of the Trobriand. At first he was seen as an outsider and that his studies weren’t “working”

While reading in both books about ethnography I was shocked to learn that there was a ton of different theoretical perspectives. I was also shocked at how the theories are so different from one another. For some the only similarity is that it is the study of humans. Before the class I thought that there was a set way on how anthropology was studied but I very quickly found out that is not the case. Anthropology is very broad and is open to tons of different interpretations. There is no set way on how we must go about researching and studying.

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 culture being studied) into your life. It’s more of a research to gain the knowledge of a current situation as oppose to something that has happened in the past. For example Sterk was researching prostitution. She followed the lives of many

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 another's 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

As a beginning of this film, a myth is told by the Nyinba people of Nepal: a story of fearsome spirits thought to kill children and the weak. Their crime was adulterous passionate love and it was this that had condemned them to live eternally between life and death. In this film, we learn about and explore marriages in tribal societies. We can clearly identify the differences that challenge both side’s ideas and sensibilities about marriage bonds.

Horace Miner was among many who used the participant observation method of data collection, it has also been known as a naturalistic approach. It a very subjective form of research, as the anthropologists will immerse themselves within the environment in which they are observing. Although the evidence is true and valid, the results from the concluded findings cannot be duplicated. (Bryant, 2000) The research takes place in the natural setting. I think it would very difficult at times to remain in the role as researcher and avoid becoming a member of the group being researched. Using the Structural Functionalism theory, this is a framework that anthropologist and sociologist use to determine how the order of society functions as a whole on a macro level focus. How the interdependence affects one another. Each member, or group is essentially an organ that together makes up the whole system. If one is damaged, it will affect each other organ and can ultimately cause a disruption or dysfunction in the whole system. Durkheim coined the term “mechanical solidarity”, which referred to the sharing of beliefs, morals and traditions each culture holds and then is transferred through socialization.

As we begin to go on an excursion through literature, it is important to understand the concept of what an ethnography is. Ethnography is known to be a descriptive type of work that analyzes culture and customs of individual people. James Clifford has implemented this work into his studies and has influenced many others to do the same. I saw through the books I have read, ethnography makes these books become vivacious for a reader.

An anthropologist usually, at the beginning of their career, conduct ethnographic research in a foreign country or remote location to validate themselves as a “bonafide anthropologist” (Brondo 43). Eventually however, the anthropologist will return home often to conduct research around their own familiar ethnic group. Tsuda refers to the anthropologists return to familiar territory as an “Ethnographic homecoming” (Brondo 44). The use of ethnographic methods in the anthropologist’s home or familiar environment is what Tsuda means by “native anthropology”.

He notes the cold behaviors of anthropologists who view Indians as peculiar subjects to be researched rather than human beings with their own agencies. As these academics come out and flood all talk on these people with their observations, not plans of action, even many young Native Americans start viewing themselves as predicable and in such a dehumanized lens. They do not see that they too can provide their own observations about the plight of their people as descendants of those who had lived in the Americas before white settlers and instead are caught in the paralysis of idealism while trying to fulfil the expectations that academics have for them on what it means to be a “real”

The purpose of this reading was to introduce what ethnography is and what exactly do anthropologists do. Ethnography is based on the fact that in order to fully understand a culture, it is best to observe the culture itself and to interact with them over a long period of time. The authors, Monaghan and Just, do fieldwork. Fieldwork is commonly done in small communities with very simplistic lifestyles so to say. In the first chapter, Peter Just did his fieldwork in the Village of Dorro Ntika. In order to be successful with this research, Peter had to build trust and create a good relationship with the people of the native tribe. Meaning Peter was able to learn well beyond the superficial facts. To be an ethnographer one must commit to years

Cold Water, directed by Noriko Ogami is a documentary from 1986 about cross-cultural adaptation and culture shock. It is about diving into a new culture and having it feel, as one foreign student puts it, like a “plunge into cold water.” Twelve Boston University foreign students express their perceptions of their experiences in the U.S. as each of them (plus one American student and three specialists) is interviewed about living and studying in a new culture. Initial focus is on the arrival and immediate post-arrival period and the culture shock which, for most of the interviewees, follows on its heels. It becomes clear that central to the problems encountered

According to Polit and Beck (2017), ethnography studies "involve the description and interpretation of cultural behavior, and seek to understand their world view" (p. 468). The strengths of ethnographic

Anthropology, as a discipline in the field of human sciences, is based on certain ethical principles to guide its practitioners through their research. This creates a stable framework on which to start any research project. Avoiding deviation, however, can be complicated. Anthropologists have a responsibility to their field,

Although the scale of this investigation is rather small I found for practicing anthropology to be different than I had originally anticipated. After the process I have concluded that conducting properly as an ethnographer in the moment is rather challenging. Although none of my original questions were leading I skewed them during the conversation and therefore allowed room for my influence to persuade the interviewee. Secondly, I have learned that at certain points during an interview, formal or informal, it is necessary to give up the agenda and follow the natural flow of the conversation. Letting the interviewee fully articulate their thoughts without interruption is the best way to stimulate meaningful responses. From this experience I learned that it is important to remain conscious of the original agenda while anticipating change in order to adapt preemptively. In some cases, particularly for larger research agendas, investigating the topic before the interview process could benefit the findings. Although my specific topic is more personal to individuals than other ethnographies, prior research could include statistics of siblings at college institutions and various other numbers supporting or negating whether or not it is a positive thing for family members to go to college together. If I were to continue research on this topic I would take it upon myself to

There are multiple characteristics of ethnographic approach. This research is considered to be more of a descriptive type research approach, that is intended for “in-depth research and descriptions of ethnic groups, cultures, large organizations, and their features” (Percy, Kostere, & Kostere, 2015, p. 16). This type of research immerses its selves in the organization or culture they are reviewing, and becoming a part of the culture, so that we can learn about it from the inside out. Therefore, this methodology often involves longer time frame for information collection, and consists of researchers returning a number of times to the location where the research is to acquire more information. Some “doctoral learners tend to avoid ethnographic studies, because of the typical long time-commitments, however, it can be a fruitful approach, even in shorter periods, for understanding the customs, culture, belief systems, and implicit rules of organizations and large groups” (Percy, Kostere, & Kostere, 2015, p. 15)