Chapter 5 Ethnograpghy Flashcards
Participation observation
Standard research method used by social cultural anthropologist that requires the researcher to live in the community here she is studying to observe and participate in day-to-day activities
Informant
Any person an anthropologist gets data from in the study community, especially people interviewed or who provide information about what he or she observed or heard
Intersubjectivity
The realization that knowledge about other people emerges out of relationships and perceptions individuals have with each other.
Armchair anthropologist.
An anthropologist who relies on the reports and accounts of others rather than original field work.
Comparative method
Any anthropological research that involves systematic comparison of several societies
Human relations area files (HRAF)
A comparative anthropological database that allows easy reference to coated information about several hundred cultural traits for more than 150 societies the HRAF Allow statistical analyst says of the relationships between the presence of one trait and the occurrence of other traits
Genealogical method
A systematic methodology for recording kinship relations and how kin terms are used in different societies
Life history
Any survey of an informant’s life including such topics as residents, occupation, marriage, family, and difficulties, usually collected to reveal patterns that cannot be observed today
Ethnohistory
The study of cultural change in societies and periods for which the community had no written histories or historical documents, usually relying heavily on oral history for data. Ethnohistory may also refer to a view of history from the natives point of view, which often differs from outsiders view.
Rapid appraisal
Short-term, focused ethnographic research typically lasting no more than a few weeks about narrow research questions or problems
Action anthropology
Research in which the goal of the researchers involvement in a community is to help make social change
Participatory action research
A research method in which the research questions, data collections, and data analysis are defined through collaboration between the researcher and the subject of research. A major goal is for the research subjects to develop the capacity to investigate and take action on their primary political, economic, or social problems.
Secondary Materials
Any data that come from secondary sources such as a census, regional survey, historical report, other researchers, and the like better not compiled by the field researcher.
Fieldwork
Long term immersion in a community, normally involving first hand research in a specific study community or research setting where people’s behavior can be observed in the researcher can have conversations or interviews with members of the community
