What does An
Anthropologist do?
Lesson 2:
Anthropological research & methods
The Stanford Prison Experiment
• Psychological study conducted by Philip Zimbardo at
Stanford University in 1971
• Took college student volunteers and divided them up:
– Half were assigned as guards and half were assigned as inmates
in a mock prison
• The experiment was supposed to last 2 weeks, but was
stopped after 6 days
– The participants began to really act like their roles
– It became difficult to differentiate between role play and reality
– Guards treated inmates like they were animals, dehumanizing them
• This experiment exemplifies:
– The psychological repercussions of such research
– The problems with studying humans scientifically
The Ethics of Social Research
• Ethics is the first consideration we need to make
when designing research projects
– We always need to be mindful that our work exists
within society
• We should take consider the following ethical
questions:
– Does the research harm anyone?
– Can the research be used for potential harm or misuse?
– Do we have informed consent for our research?
• Meaning agreement to take part in the research
– Does the experiment invade anyone’s privacy?
Ethics and Deception
• Researchers using deception walk a fine
line.
• Unacceptable deception: Milgram’s
experiment
– Why? – Some participants experienced psychological harm
• Acceptable deception: Book dropping
experiment
– Why? – No harm caused to participants
• Benefits:
– Allows researcher to see how people respond in specific
situations
Do Anthropologists Use Deception?
• Code of Ethics of the American
Anthropological Association:
“In both proposing and carrying out research,
anthropological researchers must be open about the
purpose(s), potential impacts, and source(s) of support
for research projects with funders, colleagues, persons
studied or providing information, and with relevant
parties affected by the research”
Ideal vs. Real
What people
say they do
How people
actually behave
American Anthropology
• William Rathje (1973)
• Archaeological study of
human waste to examine
patterns of consumption
• What people reported of
their consumption habits
often did not match their
what was in their garbage
• Especially true with alcohol
Can we Study Society
Scientifically?
• Positivism
• The scientific method involves developing a
hypothesis and then testing that hypothesis
through experiment
• Is it possible to control the lived experience?
• Can we replicate the work of others in social
research?
Approaches in Anthropological
Research
• Ethnology
• The comparative study of peoples to present
analytical generalizations about human culture
• Generalizations are problematic
• Ethnography
• A systematic and descriptive study of a group of
people or social issue based on fieldwork
• Literally means “writing culture, so they are written
observations of participant observation activities.
Ethnographic Research
• Most American anthropologists research
ethnographically
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–
–
–
–
Qualitative emersion
Thick Descriptions
Reflexive
Theoretically grounded analysis
Challenge stereotypes
Pages 6-7 in Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology
Anthropological Fieldwork
• A lengthy process where we research a
specific social issue among a particular
group of people.
– Begins in the classroom with our training
– We then research our topic and write a proposal
– We then can enter the field…
The Field
• There is no one way in which to enter the field.
– Each location is different
• Culture Shock
– An uncomfortable feeling resulting from being
surrounded by things you are not used to
– Many, if not all, experience this
• Life Shock
– Quick and unexpected
– Can result in fainting, vomiting, or hysterics
Research Methods
• Qualitative
– Scientific Experiment
– Survey
• Qualitative
– Interview
– Participant Observation
Ethnographic Interview
• Differs from survey in types of questions
– Survey: close-ended
– Interview: open-ended
• Objective is to get detailed insight from one
person
Participant Observation
• Very self-explanatory
• Anthropologists do not just observe
– We actively participate, but are not like the other
participants.
– By participating, we impact our research
• We write our experiences in field notes
Additional Sources
• Cultural artifacts
– literature, paintings, films, newspapers, television
programs, and photography
• Statistical data
• Maps
• Measurements
Ethnocentrism
• The belief that your way of life is the best
or correct way
− See your way as natural
− All others as backward, weird, or wrong
• Anthropologists must avoid this
Cultural Relativism
• The practice of suspending one’s
enthnocentrism and viewing things within
their own cultural context
• “There is no right or wrong way to do
anything. There’s just different ways.”
- Prof. Ratcliffe
Exam Review Questions
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•
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What are the key steps in designing social research projects (Lecture
material)?
– What must we consider first?
Can we study society scientifically (Chapter 1 in Core Concepts)??
– What was Zimbardo’s experiment (Lecture material)?
What is the definition and application of the following concepts (Chapter 1
in Core Concepts)?
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•
•
•
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The holistic perspective
Field site
Fieldwork
Interview
Survey
Participant observation
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Ethnology
Ethnography
Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism
Culture shock
Positivism