HRAF and anthropological fieldwork

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QUESTION

1. In this discussion we will explore the HRAF and anthropological fieldwork methods introduced in the module. In the Miner article Miner attempted to demonstrate a key problem in ethnographic research – subjectivity of the ethnographic present. The article shows us the difficulty of describing another culture objectively. Keeping Miner’s example in mind, you will develop your own ethnographic research plan. Imagine that you are in the field, researching a specific cultural group. Imagine the challenges that you might face and how you would address those issues.
2. Explore the eHRAF website.
3. Choose one of the following cultures for your fieldwork research:Yanoama (south America)Mbuti (Africa)Maasai (Africa)San (Africa)Trobriands (Oceania)Saami (Europe)Ifugao (Asia)Garifuna (South America, Caribbean, North America)
4. Select the thread title.
5. Select “Reply” to create a post.
6. In a post of at least 250 words:Name the group and their geographic location. Describe how you would prepare for fieldwork specifically for this group. Site Miner’s article and the difficulty of being completely objective when describing another culture. Use Miner’s example to demonstrate how you could improve your research.Describe other challenges that you might encounter in fieldwork and research with the specific culture you have chosen.Explain how could you address each problem.Be sure to use the terms and concepts introduced in Module 2 in your responses: especially the terms participant observation, rapport, culture shock, research question, interview, key informant
7. Select “Submit.”
8. Read your classmates responses. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

Response 1: Hayley
The group that I have chosen for my fieldwork research is the Trobiands, and their geographic location is what makes up Milne Bay Province, New Guinea. I would prepare for this fieldwork for this group by collecting and researching the location, topography, geology, population, climate, their history, etc. Most especially participant observation because it would help me in being involved with the Trobiands as well as observing their daily lives that I would be studying. I would need to interview a few of the people there because I could get to know one on one or even with a group of what goes through their daily lives or other stuff about their history and culture altogether. I would also need to talk to a key informant that is a community member that advises the anthropologist on community issues and feedback. I could then develop a research question and what I really need to put my main focus on after the beginning steps of getting to know and observe about the Trobiands. Since I don’t know a lot about the Trobiands, doing this fieldwork on this specific group will help me in developing a research plan and so forth. “In this light, the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go” (2). This sentence from Miner’s article explains the difficulty of being completely objective when describing another culture and how I can improve this in my research by only thinking about the culture of the Trobiands and not involving any other similarities between other cultures or locations. Challenges that I would face in this fieldwork are lost in translation, lack of rapport, financial expense, culture shock, gender role issues, investigator bias and going native. The way I could address each problem is by taking it step by step, not rushing into anything and planning what I need to do to overcome some challenges that I could face along the way.

Response 2: Alyssa
The group I chose to research is the Saami group, present in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia (U.S.S.R). I think, after reading the Miner article, that it would be a lot harder to do fieldwork that I originally thought. He wrote that, “the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go.”, and that made me reI think it is crucial to develop my research question before developing a research plan, so that I know exactly what I am trying to answer before acting. I think my research question would be how does the occupation of reindeer breeding affect the Saami people socially? This interests me because in the HRAF article the author talked a lot about how the classes are defined, and how these people were considered lower. It is interesting to me that different occupations can be seen as different social statuses depending on the culture. In Miner’s article, he admitted that when studying the Nacirema, he found that “the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go” (2). With that in mind, I think I would really have to make a conscious effort to look at this culture that I am studying objectively, so that it wouldn’t seem desirable to describe any of the Saami’s behavior as abnormal to my own normals and experiences. This would ensure that my research was more focused, because it would truly follow just my research question, while leaving out any of my preconceived notions about the way life “should” be lived. Additionally, to prepare for my fieldwork, I would discuss the group with experts who have already studied them, and hold interviews with a few members of the group. These experts and group members would be my key informants, because I think experts are probably good at being objective when describing, and I think having people of a specific culture give me their input is very important, since after all, they know the most about their own lives, and would help me gain the most raw and genuine rapport. I would definitely need to hire a translator, because I don’t speak the same language, and need to be able to communicate effectively. Even after doing my homework, I think I would still experience culture shock, because I don’t think reading would prepare me for owning livestock. After reading the HRAF article, I learned that many individuals, regardless of age or gender, own livestock and their increase, and I have never taken care of anything other than a dog. However, I think participant observation would help, and be very crucial to my fieldwork, because I could interact and learn alongside people who have done it their entire lives. With that being said, I would like to live in each of the four countries for a year, in order to conduct specific as well as general research. I think I would also experience culture shock when it comes to climate, because these are arctic and subarctic regions that I am not used to. I think I would have to acclimate myself and make sure I invested in thermal clothing so that my uncomfort never got in the way of my research.

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