Cynthia’s last lines in, A memoir of Fieldwork, Survival, and Commitment, hints at the character of what it takes to be an anthropologist.
‘But we survivor-anthropologists are not afraid. We believe in the possibilities, find all human beings “of interest,” and will not turn away.’
Personally I take from this statement that anthropology fieldwork entails more than just technical knowledge and skill, although these are important, it takes the development of personal characteristics to be an anthropologist. Throughout the journey of this course my views on anthropology have evolved. While I still love anthropology, I now know that the risks and rewards of doing ethnographic work can be high. This course has allowed me to focus on issues that I will have to personally face in my own ethnographic fieldwork. Furthermore, as I wish to emphasize in this essay there are many skills that are required to be an anthropologist that I still have to learn. In this essay I hope to call attention the essential nature of technical skills that are required for good ethnographic work. Moreover, while in the field, anthropological inquiry involves good methods and practice of those skills. This may include working with informants, working out which multi-site or a tradition style should be used. I have also learnt that an anthropologist has to consider the importance of ethics and where our morals should stand. Further, I have learnt that studying anthropology involves personal development such as being honest with yourself and your informants. In this reflected essay I want to give my answer to a question Cynthia raised in her article: ‘What does it take to be an anthropologist?’
Bronislaw Malinowski’s famous work, Method and scope of Anthropological Fieldwork, set the hallmarks of what good anthropological work should be. Long term, on some remote island, with a holistic approach to ethnographic work studying every aspect of a society.
While Evens-Pritchard’s ideas on the ‘Oxford man’ takes this notion even further with in-depth studies of multi-able cultures over a very long periods of time with the aim of conducting a cross cultural study of two whole societies. This anthropologist, and others like them, set the standard of what techniques are needed in order to study a society. However, while this may be the ideal model, today the scope and method of anthropology has grown. Today you may use multi-sited fieldwork over the traditional methods if you want to explore a common theme across cultures. This was certainly the case with Ulf Hannerz, Being There...and There... and There! Reflections on Multi-Site ethnography” whose research in foreign correspondents is perhaps reflective of what it takes to be a modern anthropologist. As in our modern world, unlike the societies Malinowski and Evens-Pritchard stayed, things are in constant flux, people are moving all over the world, things are becoming globalized, and the ‘other’ is not so far away anymore. What all these anthropologists demonstrate is that to be an anthropologist requires knowledge of the methods and the development of skills to carry out research in a systematic way. As Hannerz concludes ethnography is really the art of the possible.
The works of Nancey Scheper-Hughes and Philip Bourgue highlight two important ethical issues that need to be addressed by anthropologists. Scheper-Hughes, Ire in Ireland, shows that anthropologists have to be aware that their work is part of the voice of a community. And sometimes as researchers we have to be aware that the ‘other’ may now see our work and actively disagree with the image presented, moreover, we anthropologists may be responsible in creating new social categories which may lead to problems for our informants. Meanwhile, in the essay, Confronting the Ethics of Ethnography, Bourgue critiques the traditional ideas of ethics in anthropology demonstrating, through his powerful experience in the field, of the wider implications of fieldwork. Bourgue essay highlights the requirement for persona and sometimes complex judgment when we are conducting ethnographic work. Furthermore, it highlights what anthropologists are, they are more than just researchers but they are also humans and the concerns of humanity should be high priority for any anthropologist. If we can keep this in mind while doing field work we can be more ethical in tough times. The academic reaction to Bourgue work consisted of his work being deemed unethical and his career in anthropology was almost cut short. However, as Bourgue argues the ethics of anthropology are too narrow and rigid. What both Scheper-Hughes and Bourgue works demonstrate is that to be an anthropologist we have to go beyond basic ethical limits. We as anthropologists have to power to give and take a voice for communities that we are studying and because of this we have to be aware that we are not the end point of the moral questions we face as human beings.
The article, Being Gay and Doing Fieldwork, by Walter L. Williams really touched home for me. As a homosexual myself I never thought about coming out in the field and the problems and advantages that might occur if I had to do this. The article highlights some of the issues with interaction with informants, making clear that honest is perhaps the best course of action. While it is important to fully disclose your reasons for research, I have found that in my anthropological training, up till this course, how to approach fieldwork was to basically give some basic guidelines. However, this approach may miss some of the important personal characteristics we should develop. Honesty, Williams highlights is one of them. By giving insights to his research where he was open about his sexuality, Williams bring to the fore some of the advantages of being ‘out’ in anthropology. In one instance he is talking about getting access to Native American ‘two spirit’ people, and the fear of revealing that his interest stemmed from his own sexuality. When he revealed this to an old Indian man doors opened that allowed him to gain access to informants. This, to me, signifies the importance of the anthropologists as a social gathering tool. If we cannot be honest with those around us in our fieldwork why would they have any reason to open up to us about their culture?
In sum, Cynthia’s survivor-anthropologists may be a good statement of what it takes to be an anthropologist. When she states that we, the students of anthropology should be asked what it takes to be an anthropologist, we should be able to say more than just the technical aspects. We should say the courage to be honest, the ability to see the ethical concerns as a human being, and we should be able to answer about the character of being an anthropologist. So what does it take to be an anthropologist? It takes, as I have hopefully shown, a good understanding of the methods of fieldwork including gathering data and finding good informants. It takes knowledge of the growing scope of anthropological inquiry considering that now we have different ways and different questions in this globalized world. It takes knowing that we have the power to give and take away the voice of a community and that they now have the ability to comment on that voice as well. It takes personal courage and honesty to open yourself up to informants, even if this means the risk of being vulnerable. It takes finding people ‘of interest’ and not turning away when things can become so bleak.
