Evan Perreault
Article Annotation 3
1. Emerson, Robert M. "Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes." University of Chicago Press (1995):
1-8. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.pacificdiscovery.org/credit/SEAreadings/Robert%20et.al.%20%20Writing%20Ethnographic%20Fieldnotes.pdf>.
2. Robert Emerson has a powerful background in his field and has demonstrated his versatility
and knowledge through various published works. He began his studies at Harvard College,
where he earned his Bachelor of Arts of History. Shortly thereafter, he went on to earn his
Masters’ and Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University. During his doctorate studies and
during his post-doctorate, he worked at several universities and Sociological Programs. Emerson
is currently a Professor within the Department of Sociology at UCLA after receiving tenure from
Associate Professor in 1983. Some of his notable written works include his book Contemporary
Field Research and paper Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries.
3. The main topic of this text is fieldnotes, and how the process as a whole of taking fieldnotes is
complex and diverse in nature. The idea that fieldnotes are more of a way to convey the reality
that the ethnographer sees rather than just a slice of an interview is also structured and expanded
in depth. Another point that was discussed was the intricacies’ of the fieldnotes themselves and
how there is such a vast array of potential influences and biased that can come from the
ethnographer, the environment, personal views or emotion, and many others and how they can
shape what the end product of a report will look like.
4. Stemming from the idea on how field notes are ultimately “taken” comes Emerson’s argument
in this work; the inscription of the world that the ethnographer is trying to capture. He maintains
that there is significant difference between simply taking notes and “inscribing” what is seen.
The purpose of an ethnographer’s fieldnotes is to depict the everyday life of his/her subject and
what is important to them. The latter part of that statement is the most important because it
shows some of the most intimate aspects of a person and brings to light the connection that an
individual subject has with the rest of society and their surroundings.
5. Robert Emerson does a fantastic job of providing vivid support for his argument through his
use of example situations and how personal influences would alter the interpretation of the same
situation from multiple perspectives. His use of the supermarket scenario highlights how an
ethnographer utilizes his/her relations with the community members and shifts from an observer
to a participant and turns this singular event into an inscribed account, making it available for
later analysis. Emerson also connects the methods of one’s research and note-taking directly to
the data or facts themselves and explains how if the two are linked, then it is not possible to say
that one’s methods are independent of the findings. Finally, he draws upon the method of
contemporaneously recorded fieldnotes and how they are always an unfinished work, evolving
day to day with the discovery of new information.
6. “The ethnographer writes particular fieldnotes in ways that are not pre-determined or prespecified; hence fieldnotes are not collections or samples in the way that audio recordings can be,
i.e., decided in advance according to set criteria.”
“As inscriptions, fieldnotes are products of and reflect conventions for transforming witnessed
events, persons, and places into words on paper.”
“In short, the field researcher does not learn about the concerns and meanings of others all at
once, but in a constant, continuing process in which she builds new insight and understanding
upon prior insights and understandings.”
7. How should researchers come to best understand these methods and processes to become
better field researchers?
Why is it important for field researchers to maintain a balance between their job of being in the
field as a researcher and immersing themselves in the society and cultural of a community?
How does one even begin to assemble the vast amount of notes and research that is accumulated
through all of the observation, interaction, and participation that occurs during a researcher’s
time into a cohesive and concise report?
8.
Contemporaneously acquired fieldnotes
Interactional detail
Field researcher participation and immersion into a community