4 SUBFIELDS OF 4 SUBFIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGYANTHROPOLOGY

BIOLOGICALBIOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGYARCHAEOLOGY LINGUISTICLINGUISTIC SOCIO-CULTURALSOCIO-CULTURAL

CHIEF MEANS OF CHIEF MEANS OF ADAPTATION FOR ADAPTATION FOR

HUMANS IS CULTUREHUMANS IS CULTURE

SOCIO-CULTURAL SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY ISANTHROPOLOGY IS

HOLISTIC—all the sub-systems of a HOLISTIC—all the sub-systems of a culture are related as a single culture are related as a single systemsystem

COMPARATIVE-understand each COMPARATIVE-understand each example in terms of all the othersexample in terms of all the others

ETHNOGRAPHIC-know by doing ETHNOGRAPHIC-know by doing fieldworkfieldwork

PRINCIPLE METHOD ISPRINCIPLE METHOD IS

ETHNOGRAPHYETHNOGRAPHY

FIELDWORKFIELDWORK

PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATIONPARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION

CULTURAL RELATIVITYCULTURAL RELATIVITY

ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IDEAS, ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IDEAS,

PRACTICES, AND VALUES OF OTHER PRACTICES, AND VALUES OF OTHER

PEOPLES IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR PEOPLES IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR

OWN CULTURES RATHER THAN OUR OWN CULTURES RATHER THAN OUR

OWNOWN1)Descriptive relativity – suspending judgement to 1)Descriptive relativity – suspending judgement to

impartially reportimpartially report

2) Ethical relativity – viewing a culture through their 2) Ethical relativity – viewing a culture through their perspectiveperspective

3) Epistemological relativity – all ways of knowing are equal3) Epistemological relativity – all ways of knowing are equal

---OR ARE THEY?---OR ARE THEY?

ETHNOCENTRISMETHNOCENTRISM

Thinking your own culture is the bestThinking your own culture is the best

Figure 1.1 – U.S. Fast Food Figure 1.1 – U.S. Fast Food SystemSystem

Important TermsImportant Terms

AgencyAgency VariableVariable Independent variableIndependent variable Interdependent variablesInterdependent variables Self-intensifying loopsSelf-intensifying loops

LISU

SHAN

Iceland

Anthropology of IcelandAnthropology of Iceland

Images of Contemporary Images of Contemporary IcelandIceland

Icelandic EssaysIcelandic Essays

Dynamics of Medieval IcelandDynamics of Medieval Iceland

PROCESS OF FIELDWORK PROCESS OF FIELDWORK (utilizing the scientific (utilizing the scientific

method)method)1.1. THINK OF A HYPOTHESIS IN THINK OF A HYPOTHESIS IN

TERMS OF A THEORYTERMS OF A THEORY

E.G. SHAN PEASANTS PRODUCE E.G. SHAN PEASANTS PRODUCE ENOUGH FOR THEIR ENOUGH FOR THEIR HOUSEHOLDS BUT NOT MUCH HOUSEHOLDS BUT NOT MUCH MORE--MORE--

THEORY OF HOUSEHOLD THEORY OF HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION

E.G. STUDIES OF FISHERIES E.G. STUDIES OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS SHOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS SHOW THAT THE LESS CENTRALIZED THAT THE LESS CENTRALIZED THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS, THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS, THE MORE PEOPLE PARTICIPATE THE MORE PEOPLE PARTICIPATE AND THE MORE EFFECTIVE AND THE MORE EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT IS.MANAGEMENT IS.

HYPOTHESIS: IN LESS HYPOTHESIS: IN LESS CENTRALIZED UNIONS, PEOPLE CENTRALIZED UNIONS, PEOPLE PARTICIPATE MORE AND THE PARTICIPATE MORE AND THE UNION IS MORE EFFECTIVEUNION IS MORE EFFECTIVE

2.2. WRITE A PROPOSAL IN WHICH WRITE A PROPOSAL IN WHICH YOU EXPLAIN THE THEORY, THE YOU EXPLAIN THE THEORY, THE HYPOTHESIS, AND WHY EACH HYPOTHESIS, AND WHY EACH ONE IS IMPORTANT AND ONE IS IMPORTANT AND EXACTLY WHAT YOU PROPOSE EXACTLY WHAT YOU PROPOSE TO DO [EVEN THOUGH YOU TO DO [EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW AND THEY KNOW IT KNOW AND THEY KNOW IT NEVER HAPPENS THAT WAY]NEVER HAPPENS THAT WAY]

3.3. DEVELOP A BUDGET AND TIME-DEVELOP A BUDGET AND TIME-LINELINE

4.4. SEND THE PROPOSAL TO SEND THE PROPOSAL TO GRANTING AGENCIES SUCH AS GRANTING AGENCIES SUCH AS NSFNSF

5.5. GET APPROVAL FROM IRBGET APPROVAL FROM IRB

6.6. WAITWAIT

7.7. IF THE GRANTING AGENCY IF THE GRANTING AGENCY LIKES THE IDEA, THEY GIVE YOU LIKES THE IDEA, THEY GIVE YOU SOME MONEYSOME MONEY

8.8. DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU’D DO—DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU’D DO—AS CLOSELY AS YOU CAN—E.G. AS CLOSELY AS YOU CAN—E.G. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET RANDOM SAMPLES—IMPROVISERANDOM SAMPLES—IMPROVISE—LISTEN TO PEOPLE; —LISTEN TO PEOPLE; UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE SAYING IN THEIR TERMSSAYING IN THEIR TERMS

9.9. REVISE THE THEORY AND REVISE THE THEORY AND HYPOTHESES TO FIT WHAT YOU HYPOTHESES TO FIT WHAT YOU OBSERVE OBSERVE

——EMPIRICISM MEANS YOU EMPIRICISM MEANS YOU MAKE YOUR IDEAS CONFORM TO MAKE YOUR IDEAS CONFORM TO THE FACTS; YOU DON’T MAKE THE FACTS; YOU DON’T MAKE THE FACTS CONFORM TO YOUR THE FACTS CONFORM TO YOUR IDEASIDEAS

--DEVELOP NEW METHODS TO --DEVELOP NEW METHODS TO FIT THE SITUATIONS YOU FACEFIT THE SITUATIONS YOU FACE

10.10. WRITE ABOUT METHODS AND WRITE ABOUT METHODS AND FINDINGS AND TALK ABOUT FINDINGS AND TALK ABOUT THEM AT MEETINGS OF THEM AT MEETINGS OF ANTHROPOLOGISTS AND OTHER ANTHROPOLOGISTS AND OTHER INTERESTED PEOPLEINTERESTED PEOPLE

— — FOR INSTANCE, FISHERIES FOR INSTANCE, FISHERIES MANAGERS, FISHERS, UNION MANAGERS, FISHERS, UNION MEMBERS, UNION LEADERSMEMBERS, UNION LEADERS

11.11. LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE SAYING ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE SAYING ABOUT THEIR WORKABOUT THEIR WORK

12.12. PUT YOUR FINDINGS IN WIDER PUT YOUR FINDINGS IN WIDER COMPARATIVE CONTEXTS OF COMPARATIVE CONTEXTS OF OTHER FINDINGS FROM OTHER OTHER FINDINGS FROM OTHER CULTURESCULTURES

13.13. INCORPORATE NEW THEORIES INCORPORATE NEW THEORIES AND METHODSAND METHODS

13.13. REPEAT FROM BEGINNINGREPEAT FROM BEGINNING

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHSCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

IS SELF-CORRECTIVE—IF IS SELF-CORRECTIVE—IF OBSERVATIONS DON’T MATCH OBSERVATIONS DON’T MATCH OUR IDEAS, WE CHANGE OUR OUR IDEAS, WE CHANGE OUR IDEAS UNTIL OBSERVATIONS DO IDEAS UNTIL OBSERVATIONS DO MATCH OUR IDEAS.MATCH OUR IDEAS.