1. On the Conduct of Inquiry in Anthropology
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2. Major method of research
Fieldwork, or
Participant observation
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3. On Participant Observation
“If our understanding of other societies has improved over the last century, it is not because we have ‘sat around a table exchanging ideas’ but because we have collected a ‘special kind of evidence by a special method.’ Understanding is gained not just by observation, but by participation (being, in a way, a Nuer), interpreting not just with the mind, but with the heart and ‘the whole personality.’”
----George Stocking, reviewing a book on fieldwork(1992), p. 400

4. Previous methods of research
Armchair anthropology
Verandah anthropology

5. Bronislaw Malinowski 1884 - 1942
Miller, B., (2007). Cultural Anthropology. Pearson Education: Boston.
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6. Not to be reproduced, copied or forwarded.
Malinowski, B. (1964). Argonauts of the Western Pacific. London.

7. Not to be reproduced, copied or forwarded.
Malinowski, B. (1964). Argonauts of the Western Pacific. London.

8. Long-Term Participation
Pros
Enhances rapport
Enters a particular social position
Overcomes Hawthorne effect, in which participants change their behavior to conform to the perceived expectations of the researcher
Allows “way of life” to be deeply felt and understood (in the bones) of the ethnographer
Allows one to become fluent in the local language
Cons
One cannot be everywhere, so one needs to choose where to be
One’s role opens and closes possibilities
Difficult to obtain standardized comparable data
Takes a lot of time
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9. Observation
An ethnographer needs to find out how much his or her own experience is true for others
An ethnographer needs to take notes and record conversation (something that regular participants wouldn’t do)
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10. Looking for patterns
What is present here? (descriptive pattern of central tendency)
Why is this pattern present here? (associational patterns)
What is the range of variations?
Examples: city and countryside, government and politics, and gender relations
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11. Not to be reproduced, copied or forwarded.

12. In addition to participant observation….
Talking with people (informal conversations)
Life history
Photography and video
Collecting songs, speeches, jokes, myths, and stories
Archival or historical sources
Census data
Genealogies
Maps
Letters and columns in newspapers
Triangulation of data
Not to be reproduced, copied or forwarded.