Fieldwork 101the joys and tribulations

of field research

Fieldwork – what is it

• Going out there • Fieldwork in zoology • Fieldwork in the

humanities

• We get to go out and talk to people

Why do it?

The good stuff• You have to deal with

people• It’s fun• Primary data (versus

secondary)• Freshness• Immediacy • You will have to formulate

ideas and arrange and process the data

The drawbacks• You have to deal with

people• Timidity • Awkwardness• Too much stuff• You will have to formulate

ideas and arrange and process the data

I love it

• Adventure of it all• Learning new things • Learning unexpected

things• Challenge• The people factor • It’s an Indiana Jones

sort of thing

I get to go to all sorts of places

Develop lasting relationships

Fun in Ukraine

Kazakhstan 2011

Peace Country

Northern Saskatchewan

Edmonton

Stories from fieldwork

• The Grottoes • Burned Church

revenge• Concrete tombstones

and other return of the dead

• Evil eye and egg ceremony

• The Snake Husband• Epiphany water• Taboos

Planning for fieldwork

• Picking a topic – what is important relevant• My topics and why they were chosen• Turkey• Ukraine for minstrel book• Ukraine for ritual book• Sanctuary and Canada• Kazakhstan

Preparing for fieldwork

Questionnaire • Used for interviews• Systematic set of questions• Covering all the areas

connected to the topic that you are investigating

• Allowing for digressions • Do not necessarily follow

the questionnaire • Have a system in the back of

your mind

Observation plan • Good for rituals and other

occasions where you will be an observer or participant observer

• Plan ahead so that you know what to look for

• Allow for flexibility and the unexpected

Ethical issues

• “Othering” the interviewee/respondent • Academic, research situation and person as

subject• Imposing academic terminology, perspective• Goal-orientation versus personal situation• Goal-orientation versus courtesy • The interview situation is NOT a natural one• Neither is being an observer

Willingness of people to cooperate

• People like being interviewed, observed• Makes them feel important• The scholar as the person who gives voice to

the voiceless• And you learn an enormous amount

Protecting your respondents

• HERO – a university requirement• Interview agreement• Letter of introduction• Depositor forms• Preparation in class – essentially geared to the

slide earlier• Courtesy, remember humanity and don’t

“other,” use appropriate

Preparation in class

• Courtesy• Remember the humanity of the people you deal

with• Don’t “other,” don’t treat as an object• Avoid assumptions about your respondent• Use appropriate language: don’t talk down, but

don’t use the scholarly terminology from class either

• Avoid leading questions

Rewards – I had (and have) a great time

• It made me a better lecturer – learning about performance

• The how-to of folklore, traditional techniques

• Understanding of other people, other cultures

• Imagination and creativity