6 Chapter 2: Doing Fieldwork: Methods in Cultural Anthropology (5/27) -- Cultural Anthropology

6 Chapter 2: Doing Fieldwork: Methods in Cultural Anthropology Learning Objectives • Discuss what is unique about ethnographic fieldwork and how it emerged as a key strategy in anthropology. • Explain how traditional approaches to ethnographic fieldwork contrast with contemporary approaches. • Identify some of the contemporary ethnographic fieldwork techniques and perspectives. • Discuss some of the ethical considerations in doing anthropological fieldwork. • Summarize how anthropologists transform their fieldwork data into a story that communicates meaning. Click here for full text and images of Chapter 2: Doing Fieldwork: Methods in Cultural Anthropology FINDING THE FIELD My first experience with fieldwork as a student anthro-pologist took place in a small indigenous community in northeastern Brazil studying the Jenipapo-Kanindé of La-goa Encantada (Enchanted Lake). I had planned to conduct an independent research project on land tenure among members of the indigenous tribe and had gotten permis-sion to spend several months with the community. My Brazilian host family arranged for a relative to drive me to the rural community on the back of his motorcycle. After several hours navigating a series of bumpy roads in blaz-ing equatorial heat, I was relieved to arrive at the edge of the reservation. He cut the motor and I removed my heavy backpack from my tired, sweaty back. Upon hearing us ar-rive, first children and then adults slowly and shyly began to approach us. I greeted the curious onlookers and briefly explained who I was. As a group of children ran to fetch the cacique (the chief/political leader), I began to explain my research agenda to several of the men who had gathered. I mentioned that I was interested in learning about how the tribe negotiated land use rights without any private land ownership. After hearing me use the colloquial term “índio” (Indian), a man who turned out to be the cacique’s cousin came forward and said to me, “Well, your work is going to be difficult because there are no Indians here; we are only Brazilians.” Then, abruptly, another man angrily replied to him, stating firmly that, in fact, they were Indians because the community was on an Indian reservation and the Bra-zilian government had recognized them as an indigenous tribe. A few women then entered the rapid-fire discussion. I took a step back, surprised by the intensity of my first in-teraction in the community. The debate subsided once the cacique arrived, but it left a strong impression in my mind. Eventually, I discarded my original research plan to focus instead on this disagreement within the community about who they were and were not. In anthropology, this type of conflict in beliefs is known as contested identity. I soon learned that many among the Jenipapo-Kanindé did not embrace the Indian identity label. The tribe mem-bers were all monolingual Portuguese-speakers who long ago had lost their original language and many of their tra-ditions. Beginnin