Cultural Anthropology Research Methods
Participant Observation
1. The key component of any cultural anthropologist's approach is participant observation. During
participant observation, the cultural anthropologist either lives or spends a significant amount of time
with the people studied, participating in their daily activities and observing how they live.
Interviews
2. The cultural anthropologist will interview many individuals in a culture to draw out their beliefs and
ideas about their society.
Cross-Cultural Comparison
3. Cultural anthropologists compare cultures with one another to come to new insights about the culture
being studied. For example, Margaret Mead focused on studying the cultures of the South Pacific, but
included insights from Western culture, particularly the United States, when forming conclusions.
Historical Analysis
4. Historical documents can be studied to see how the people being studied lived in the past. This
information can illuminate cultural patterns the anthropologist sees in the present.
Questionnaires
5. Anthropologists develop questionnaires that ask questions with close-ended answers that are easily
quantifiable and can be ascribed a numerical value. These questionnaires can also ask open-ended
questions, which give participants the opportunity to express their opinions and beliefs.
Source: Marguerite Lance, Contributing Writer
Participant observation fieldwork, the core research method in cultural
anthropology
Consider Thomas Belmont’s account of his first day of fieldwork in Fontana Del Re, as discussed in chapter 3 of
your text Culture Counts. He feels disoriented and bombarded by new smells, sights, sounds, circumstances,
people etc. This disorientation is a valuable part of fieldwork in anthropology. It is during these initial stages of
participant observation fieldwork that researchers get an idea of how things are different from their own
cultural experiences. The notes anthropologists take in these first days are often valuable clues later on, after
the researcher becomes comfortable in her/his new surroundings and begins to take life ways for granted.
A common result of doing fieldwork in a culture much different from one’s own is called culture shock, as
described in Culture Counts, page 52. Culture shock can be a lonely, debilitating experience, but it informs us
about how people must feel when they move to another culture to work, as immigrants, and as refugees. To
reduce culture shock requires learning one’s host culture’s language, customs, and social organization. Most
anthropologists realize, though, that no matter how much they learn, they will never be complete members of
the cultures they study.
You will be practicing fieldwork methods, in this class, for your first mini paper and your final culture
paper. Depending on the group you choose to observe, you may or may not feel a sense of culture shock.
1
To various degrees you will be studying an aspect of your own society (see page 58 of Culture Counts),
but ideally you will find a subculture to observe that you are relatively unfamiliar with.
Emic and Etic
Emic perspective: the "insider's" or "native's" interpretation of or "reasons" for his or her
customs/beliefs. What things mean to the members of a society.
Etic perspective: the external researcher's interpretation of the same customs/beliefs. What things
mean from an analytical, anthropological perspective.
The anthropologist usually takes both emic and etic interpretations into account when analyzing
human society (depending on the project.)
These words, by the way, come from the linguistic terms "phonetic" and "phonemic."
Research ethics
As you prepare to spend time with a subculture in your vicinity, be prepared to understand the ethics of
fieldwork and expectations of respect toward the people you are observing.
For example:
1)
Do nothing in the field to sully the reputation of anthropology or weaken its integrity. Don’t make up
data, obstruct other researchers, or cover up professional misconduct.
2)
Preserve opportunities for other fieldworkers by behaving with respect toward people in the group
you are studying with.
3)
Publicize your findings and share your data. (In this case you will practice publicizing data by
submitting a final paper to your instructor.)
4)
Basically the tenant is to do no harm. That involves doing nothing that will negatively affect the
reputations and livelihoods of the people you are working with.
5)
6)
Be honest to people about yourself and what you are doing. Get their permission.
Preserve people’s privacy. No one except persons in positions of public responsibility should be
recognizable in your reports. Disguise the identity of all people in your written and verbal accounts.
Begin thinking about which culture group you will spend time with for your upcoming mini papers,
leading up to your final paper. The three smaller papers are designed to assist you with your final paper.
2
If you are choosing the non technology option:
1. The first paper will involve getting started with the group you have chosen by observing how members use
humor, share information, gossip, and/or tell stories as part of communications. Read one of the articles in the
wiki page called Project assignment 1, fieldwork choice 1 to help guide and inform your first fieldwork focus
and discussion. (Due week 5)
2. The second paper is a library academic research paper for your final paper, which will be explained in the
upcoming weeks. (Due week 7)
3. The third paper is your own account of fieldwork experiences that are relevant to your final paper. (Due week
9)
4. The last and final culture group paper will be about your culture group, describing how it is a subculture or
culture, your observations, and academic comparison and theory that helps you interpret your observations.
(Due finals week)
Choosing a group:
Hopefully you can think of a subculture you want to know more about and that is easy for you to access.
Perhaps there are activities that people around you do that have always seemed curious to you.
Following is a list of ideas to inspire brain storming. Perhaps seeing a list will be a step to your own creativity in
picking a group for study.
















Volunteer at an animal shelter and observe the human culture around homeless animals.
Do an anthropology of garage sales
Artist culture in Olympia (or elsewhere)
Hikers' culture
Rock climbing culture
Agricultural worker culture
Visit the city or county or state courthouse and observe the legal culture during trials and arraignments,
etc. Listen to or observe what people do in the hallways before going into the court room, etc. What
kinds of body language, tone of voice, and courtroom rituals can you identify?
Observe the culture around exercise and body image in a workout and fitness center.
Observe what goes on in the waiting room of a hospital, including what happens between the health care
subculture and those people who are in contact with it.
Find a Habitat for Humanity work site and observe the subculture of volunteers. You might even be able
to participate as well.
Ask to ride around with the garbage men and see what they know about people based on their garbage
and find out what a subculture of trash collectors is concerned with.
Ask if you can unobtrusively observe what goes on in a beauty parlor (I guess that’s not the right name
for them now). If you go sit and listen for an hour here and an hour there, you might be able to see some
patterns of behavior and conversation about hair, etc. And you might be able to interview some of the
stylists.
Find a conference going on where you can sort of observe, for a few hours, the culture of whatever
subculture is meeting at the conference center. Maybe you can listen to a speaker or two. Then follow up
with further research about the subculture. Perhaps you can attend another meeting later in the quarter.
Find out if there is a Society for Creative Anachronism event scheduled nearby, or another kind of
festival event. Festivals are a whole area of anthropological study. You might find a couple to compare.
Spend time with the janitorial staff of the college or the financial aid office staff and watch their
subcultures.
Tavern or bar culture
3





















The culture of the banking world
Automobile culture
Youth group culture
Factory or warehouse work culture
Worker culture
Preschool culture
Fishing or hunting culture
Prison culture
Alcoholics Anonymous culture
Hippie culture
Redneck culture
Immigrant culture
Food and eating culture
Religious culture (but not your own religion)
Knitting group culture
Car or motorcycle culture
Snowboarding culture compared with skiing culture
Other sports culture
Dance group culture
Theater culture
etc. etc. etc.
If you are choosing the technology option:
1. The first paper will involve getting started by choosing a technology or online community focus. Read one of
the articles in the wiki page called Project assignment 1, fieldwork choice 2 to help guide and inform your first
fieldwork focus and discussion. (Due week 5)
2. The second paper is a library academic research paper for your final paper, which will be explained in the
upcoming weeks. (Due week 7)
3. The third paper is your own account of fieldwork experiences that are relevant to your final paper. (Due week
9)
4. The last and final culture group paper will be about your culture group, describing how it is a subculture or
culture, your observations, and academic comparison and theory that helps you interpret your observations.
(Due finals week)
Following is a list of ideas to inspire brain storming. You will want to observe and interview actual groups of
people who use these new technologies as well as observing online trends or cell phone usage.
 Youtube
 Wikileaks
 Farmville type culture
 Facebook or Myspace
 Gaming communities
 Twitter
 Cell phones and text messaging
 Etc. etc. etc.
4