Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology -- an academic discipline

Viewing Culture as Successive Levels

An iceberg as an analogy of culture

An Iceberg as an Analogy of Culture

CultureCulture consists of:1. Learned concepts and behavior 2. Underlying perspectives (worldview)3. Resulting products

nonmaterial (customs and rituals)

material (artifacts)

Cultural AnthropologyConcerned with culture as a complete

system instead of the individual parts.

It has two approachesEtic Perspective (Outsider’s Point of View)Emic Perspective (Insider’s Point of View)

It includes Field WorkField Notes Participant-ObservationInterviews/Surveys

Our Way: Writing Ethnographies

How Do We Study Cultures?

EthnographyThe study and recording of human cultures

and the descriptive work produced from such research

Roots traced back to late 19th century when anthropologists engaged in participant observation in the field.

Derived from the words “ethno” which means folk and “graph” derived from writing.

Why do we conduct ethnographic research?

People learn more from direct experience than second-hand experience (books, lectures)

Narrative helps us reflect on the experience

Collect evidence without hypothesis or conclusion

Analysis explains what you have learned

Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Qualitative Data Quantitative DataStudy where data is

gathered in the form of words, narratives and impressions.

Ex. Interview

Your ethnographies include mostly Qualitative Data!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSdxYb2IVwg

Study where data is translated into numbers

Ex. Survey

Emic and Etic Perspective

Emic Approach Etic Approach

Investigates how people in the group we are studying perceive and categorize the world

What has meaning for them

Shifts focus to the interpretations of the anthropologist.

Members of a culture often are too involved in what they are doing to interpret their cultures impartially.

What can we study?

What can we Study? What Kind of Data?

Formal and Informal Groups

Subcultures Organizations

Field NotesTextsParticipant-

ObservationSurveysInterviews

Ethnographers Adopt a stance both distanced (observing)

and interactive (participatory)

Study cultures through the relationship of individuals, the rituals, values, and habits they share.

Spend lots of times with cultures and participate in their activities

Writing of an EthnographyPre-Writing:

Reflections on what you know about the group you are studying

Questions you are interested to answerIntroductions/Consent Forms

Consent Letters to group members explaining your project (if needed)

Provide Privacy if members ask for it. Journal

Your thinking throughout the project. Write ideas, observations, etc.

Drafts and Revisions

Basic Stages of Field Research

1. Selecting a research topic2. Formulating a research design3. Collecting the data4. Analyzing the data5. Interpreting the data

6. http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/315-doing-anthropology

Select a Research TopicDon’t rush on this step!Brainstorm research questions you would like to answer

Choose a topic you are interested in.

Check the Existing LiteratureSee if someone has already done some of the work for you or answered the questions you are researching about

Can you add to their study? Is your study still necessary?

How much information can you find about the topic you are willing to study?

Collecting DataLook for Key Informants

Respondents who have special knowledge about a group or an event

Look for a Representative Sample of the Population you studyDifficult, but you must try

Field NotesAccounts describing experiences and observations the researcher has made while participating in an intense and involved manner

Subject to memory of observerSubject to bias of the observer

Observation

InterviewsStructured Interviews: Questions tend to be closed

questions requiring: yes/no answers, use of scales or other forms of ranking.

Semi – structured interviews are those that incorporate both closed and open ended questionsSurveys can be semi-structured

Unstructured Interviews ask open-ended questionsAllows interviewees to respond at their own pace in

their own words. Resembles a normal conversation

Guidelines for Ethnographic Interviewing

1. Obtain informed consent before interviewing.2. Maintain neutrality by not conveying to the

interviewee what may be the “desired” answer.3. Pre-test questions to make sure they are

understandable and culturally relevant.4. Keep the recording unobtrusive.

5. Make certain the conditions under which the interviews are conducted are consistent.

6. Use simple, clean, and jargon-free language.7. Phrase questions positively.8. Keep the questions and the interview short.9. Save controversial questions for the end.10. Interviews can go wrong! Manage the situation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAKCQammecg

Focus GroupsA Focus Group is a Group Interview

Participant-ObservationThe researcher spends time with the

research participants interacting with them and participating, as much as possible, in the activities that are of interest.

A complex data collection method, participant observation involves taking field notes or other recordings, and unstructured interviews.

Participant Observation Phases

1. Establishing RapportGet to know the members of the community. Be accepted

by the community in order to obtain quality data. 2. In the Field

“Do as they do”. Show a connection with the population in order to be accepted. Moderate your language and participate in daily activities.

3. Recording Observations and DataYou can record personal feelings about experiences.

Includes field notes, interviews, and journals. 4. Analyzing Data

Look for recurrent themes found in interviews, observations, etc. Construct a cohesive story worth being told.

Example Ethnography on Sports Fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTboT3au4-4