An ethnographer on a field trip...
Levi Strauss wrote: « L’ethnographie
est le recueil des données sur le terrain principalement. L'ethnologie est
l'analyse de ces données, et l'anthropologie est un travail comparatif. »
Ethnography is the study of peoples and cultures. In ethnology, you do
not have to travel to faraway places, you mostly study books or reports other
people have compiled from their ethnographic field work.
Ethnographers try to understand the people they are studying by adopting
what may be called “the insider’s eye or point of view”, which means a long
term engagement with an ethnic group, its culture; this is also called
“participant observation” because the ethnographer must blend in, learn their
culture, almost become one of them and observe. This can be one of the good
sides of ethnography, because you spend months, even years, with a population group,
you create bonds, and learn so much about a new culture. It could also be
viewed as somewhat nefarious, voyeuristic, an intrusion into their private
life. Also in quite a few cases it has been reported that the ethnographer
creates such strong bonds with the ethnic group he is studying that he or she
ends up staying with them, losing sight of his or her initial objectives…
Being an ethnographer can also be very dangerous; depending on the
ethnic group studied, some populations can be uncooperative and even unwelcoming
because they refuse the intrusion, want to remain unknown, or untouched; others
can be aggressive, or simply not understand your intentions, and believe you
are an enemy and even kill you… you might end up in the cooking pot, so to
speak! It all depends on which ethnic group is being studied, and their
willingness to share their culture.
Another negative side to this type of work is that you are far from your
family, your usual living space, for a long period of time.
To face another society, another culture, can be very disconcerting, but
it can also make people’s opinions change, make you question the way you have
been living up to this point, your society, even your humanity; and that is the
fascinating side of ethnography.
Amélie wants to become a social anthropologist.
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