Researching Place: The Spatial Gaze
• “Gaze” is the act of seeing; it is an act of
selective perception. Much of what we see is
shaped by our experiences and our “gaze”
has a direct bearing on what we think. And
what we see and think, to take the process
one step further, has a bearing upon what we
say and what and how we write.
• (Stoller, Paul. The Taste of Ethnographic Things)
“Spatial gaze” can refer to our worldview
Worldview: an observers’ or informants’
entire cultural perspective.
Why be concerned with worldviews?
• In part, this is why we wrote “The
Uniqueness of my Community” and why
we identified our assumptions,
preconceptions, and biases – so we could
be more aware of our own worldviews as
we discovered and explored those of
others (e.g., informants).
• A key component of the spatial gaze is identifying a focal point (in your
observation and/or research), or “a central place in the fieldsite where
ideas, artifacts, or people converge”
• A key component of the spatial gaze is identifying a focal point (in your
observation and/or research), or “a central place in the fieldsite where
ideas, artifacts, or people converge”
In “On Seeing England for the First Time,” for example, Kincaid uses the map of
England as her focal point: when contrasted with the England that she saw with
her own eyes (as opposed through a colonized spatial gaze), the tension that
occurs allows Kincaid’s new perspective to be expressed in sharp relief to her past
perspectives.
• One of the most difficult
aspects of writing is choosing
(or “selecting”) what the focus
will be. In fieldworking, this
process is known as selective
perception.
• As we select how to utilize
descriptive writing and as we
choose where to focus our
gaze, we are participating not
only in “looking out,” but also in
“looking in” (reflecting”).
– “As we write, we revise our
worldviews. The point of doing
fieldwork is to learn to see not
just the other, but ourselves as
well. The spatial gaze demands
that we look – and then look
back again at ourselves” (187).
Some questions to ask Ourselves as
We Observe our Fieldsites:
• Why do I focus on this element of the
landscape/setting and not something else? What about
it draws my attention?
• What is my reason for narrowing my gaze to any
specific place?
• What spaces have I rejected as I have narrowed my
gaze?
• Why do I use certain metaphors and descriptions?
• What metaphors and descriptions did I decide not to
use and why?
• Is there evidence in my fieldnotes for the descriptions I
make, or am I “filling in the blanks” from memory?
Identifying Unity and Tension
What is meant by unity in fieldworking?
What is meant by tension in fieldworking?
(Hint: page 205)
• In “Strike a Pose” (Photo Phantasies), what are
some of the unities and tensions that Karen
Downing looks for or identifies?
• How are her revelations connected to gaze?
• What does this excerpt show us about the
importance of reflection?
Great Writing Practices (Verbs)
Verbs. An entire world can exist in the verb. As Mark Twain noted, “The difference between
the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between
the lightning bug and the lightning.” - Letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
PRESENT TENSE
ACTIVE
STRONG / VIVID: use “to be” verbs sparingly
Adapt
Advance
Advise
Appropriate
Arbitrate
Classify
Collapse
Collide
Compile
Maintain
Mangle
Manipulate
Mediate
conserve
consolidate
construct
delineate
develop
diagnose
discover
dissect
dominate
mobilize
mock
motivate
navigate
dramatize
elevate
elude
ensnare
establish
examine
evaluate
expose
extricate
reveal
seduce
negotiate
formulate
generate
gesture
grapple
guide
harass
hypothesize
identify
ignore
implement
improve
illustrate
inform
instigate
interpret
invent
isolate
investigate