Posing Questions what fieldworkers do

brainstorming questions Now Playing “Bottle Up and Go” recorded by Allsion Mathis in 1941 provided courtesy of the Library of Congress, American Memory Archive What questions come to mind? write them down

brainstorming questions Who created this music? Who wrote the words? Who listens to this music? What does it mean to the song writer? What inspired the songwriter to write this song? What does it mean to the people who listen to this music? What are the words of the song? What genre would this be considered? Is it easily classified? Is this typical American music for the time period? Was this piece popular in its day? Did it appeal to mainstream music listeners or some subculture of music listeners? Was it played on the radio? In what settings and situations was music like this played? Do people still listen to this today? Who? Why?

tools of the trade As fieldworkers, we rely primarily on two techniques: –observation –questioning Question Everything!

Deductive writing is based on making a claim (a thesis) and then working to prove that claim. Deductive reasoning moves from general assumptions to specific claims to a single conclusion. Remember the syllogism and the enthymeme? In deductive models, the argument (i.e., the claim) drives the project. In a sense, you start with your conclusion in mind. approaches to research and writing Research work can be thought of as belonging to one of two models or approaches: Deductive Inductive

Inductive writing is based on questions. It is an inquiry-based approach to research. Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to a general understanding or conclusion. Inductive models are based on observing and detecting patterns in that which is observed. In inductive models, the question drives the project. This is the model of ethnographic fieldwork. Research work can be thought of as belonging to one of two models or approaches: Deductive Inductive approaches to research and writing

it’s about questioning Ethnographic fieldwork is driven by observation, questioning, and the detection of patterns Ethnography is inductive. Questioning leads us to understanding.

ethnographic questioning Questioning can take different forms. Journalists are known for asking questions, but as fieldworkers our questioning goes deeper. who what when where why how Journalists seek objective, verifiable facts… Ethnographers seek “objective” and “subjective” truths… what’s going on here? where’s the culture? what’s the insider’s perspective? These are broad questions that take a lot of work to answer.

ethnography vs. journalism Journalists peer in from the outside, from the fringes of the insider’s experience.

ethnography vs. journalism Ethnographers jump in, seeking entry to the insider’s world, becoming participant observers.

engaging the ethnographic perspective What kinds of questions might the fieldworker ask to further uncover the culture the article describes? What information would the fieldworker want to gather to answer the question “What’s going on here?” Refer to the article “Black Astronaut Carries Navajo Flag”

possible ethnographic questions Why does Harris consider the Navajo the “first Americans?” What daily interaction did Harris have with the Navajo during his youth, and what specific influence did they have on him? Why did he leave when he was 15? Did he maintain contact with the Navajo after he left the reservation? How much does he know about his African American heritage compared to the Navajo culture? Did he also take an artifact from his African American heritage? Why or why not? If so, what was it, and is there any connection to the Navajo flag? How did Navajo tribal leaders feel about Harris’ choice for an artifact? What did his childhood friends from the reservation think? Do they have the same opinion of him now as they did then? Why or why not? Did Harris actively participate in Navajo culture and rituals as a young person? To what extent does his choice to carry their flag represent a sincere belief in their culture?

honing your fieldworker’s gaze… Fieldwork depends on a new kind of looking: a fieldworker’s gaze, where you exist both inside and outside, seeing the ordinary as the extraordinary and unraveling the meaning of the details.

the fieldworker, like a novelist… The fieldworker must choose, shape, prune, discard this and collect finer detail on that, much as a novelist works who finds some minor character is threatening to swallow the major theme, or that the hero is fast taking himself out of his depth. But unlike the novelist…the fieldworker is wholly and helplessly dependent on what happens….One must be continually prepared for anything, everything—and perhaps most devastating— for nothing. –M ARGARET M EAD

why you can’t just be a participant-observer The difference between doing fieldwork and just hanging out is writing.

the tool of your trade: fieldnotes Immediate personal journal or log fieldnotes Expanded reflective fieldnotes Double-entry fieldnotes

taking double-entry notes students quiet, cross-legged, leaning, hands clasped, arms crossed, still, chewing gum, baseball caps front and back, corn rows, pierced eyebrows I don’t associate poetry readings with packed auditoriums. People are wearing red scarves. Do the they have something to do with the poetry?

taking double-entry notes Include date, time, and place of observation in your notes 11/6/0711:30 amMojo’s Coffee Shop

7 Number each page of your notes for easy cross-referencing later.

other things to note Specific facts, numbers, details Sensory impressions: sights, textures, smells, tastes Specific words, phrases, summaries of conversations, and insider language Personal responses to the act of recording fieldnotes and how others watch you as you watch them Questions about people or behaviors at the site for future investigation

let’s practice…

Question everything Assume nothing See things like you’ve never seen them before be inquisitive

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” ̶ Lloyd Alexander