In the Field: Readings on the Field Research Experience Book

This volume brings together personal accounts by a group of ethnographic researchers. A supplemental text for methods courses, "In the field" is designed to give students a sense of what it is actually like to conduct ethnographic research, especially participant observation. As the selections show, field researchers often become involved in the lives of the people they study and are at times forced into a re-examination of their own values. By learning how social scientists conduct research under field conditions and how they feel while they are doing it, students will be better prepared to carry out successful field research projects of their own. Divided into four parts, the book begins with several readings that explore the confusing and frustrating period every field researcher goes through while trying to gain the acceptance of the people under study. In the second section, the contributors show how ethnographic researchers often develop subtle, complex relationships with their informants. These selections also illustrate the impact of differences in race, gender and class between the researcher and his or her subject. The next group of readings deals with a problem often encountered in the field - how ethnographic researchers maintain objectivity in the face of deepening involvement in their subjects' lives? In the final section, the researchers ask some questions about the role of the observer. Taken together, these readings offer a window onto the field research experience that will be useful not only for those just beginning their careers but also for professional researchers who seek encouragement from others with similar experiences.Read More