Anthropological research methodology: basics and issues

Ethnography: description of a culture, usually based on the method of participant observation. Fieldwork: living among a group of people for the purpose of learning about their culture. Participant Observation: living in a culture that is not your own while also keeping a detailed record of your observations and interviews. Objectivity: Subjectivity Generalization Particularism Inductive approach

Objectives: From this topic, students should be able to:

Explain the key methods in Anthropology Link the methods to theory Explain the strengths and weaknesses of anthropological research methods

Class presentation by: Same, Molatlhegi, Ditshoso and Mokomane

NB: Check for definition of anthropological terms http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth370/gloss .html

Anthropology vs Sociology
Anthropology: Emphasis on participant observation Studying chiefly non-industrial societies Account for variations and similarities among human populations Sociology: Understanding , criticising modern industrial societies Using large statistical data sets

Qualitative vs Quantitative research

Large samples vs participants observation among small communities Reliability and validity vs accepting every context is different Objectivity vs subjectivity Generalizable findings vs specific and particularistic data

Anthropological research methodology: basics and issues

Inductive and deductive approaches: theory testing vs or observation of facts The language question: issues of translation e.g. is the way I understand kinship the same as in the culture Im studying? Objectivity myth or reality? E.g. Gender bias -Clifford Geertz: far from being neutral and objective, anthropological writings are shaped by the author's biography Basic/Pure vs Applied research: can applied research be objective?

Pure or Basic and Applied research.

Pure or Basic Research involves knowledge for the sake of knowledge. A scholar of pure knowledge may see acquisition of knowledge satisfying in itself irrespective of the fact whether it is of any practical use or not. It is an intellectual satisfaction which is an end in itself. In Applied research the basic purpose is to put knowledge to practical use. A researcher in applied knowledge would be more interested in trying to find some utility out of it which may bring some improvement in the practical life. Challenge: can applied research be objective?

Methodology and methods: Important distinction

The words method and methodology are quite commonly confused with one another; however, these words are not interchangeable as they mean completely different things. A method is defined as the steps that you must go through it order to complete a task or job.

What is Methodology?
Methodology is analyzing any rules, methods or steps that are used, linking them to theory The underlying set of beliefs or principles that caused you to use the particular set of methods that you did rather than another step or series of steps.

What is Methodology?
The methodology section of your project or thesis should include a description of the methods you used and how you carried them out. Most important, it should also explain to the reader how and why you decided to choose these particular methods to carry out your research. How is your project an anthropological study rather than an economics study for example?