Again, it seemed to me that the storyline allowed it.
Freedom in the writing.
28 Matching Annotations
- Sep 2018
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We are storytellers. We are creating contexts for interpretation. We write rhetorically, which is to say, we try to persuasively adapt our message to our reader’s expectations, which means that in the interests of writing a good story, we make use of invention from time to time.
How much is to much invention? A lot of little inventions could lead a reader to interpret the situation as completely different than the observer did?
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One of the rules I use for writing interpretive ethnography is that in the interests of telling a good story it is permissible to omit details that have no bearing on the tale, but it is not permissible to make things up.
In this sense, one must be able to make determinations on what is important and what is not. One of my main takeaways from this reading is that in everyday life we do not observe many things that are actually very important. So, it is important to be very sure when you omit something. How do you know when something is not meaningful information?
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During her writing and revising process, Amy looked at both sides of her pages of double-entry notes, the stick-on notes she’d placed on top of them, the four freewriting exercises she’d done, and the comments Jenna and her classmates had made.
All of these things put together provide a great deal of information on one's experience in the field, and all seem very important to do in the process of a field study.
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Amy recorded her observations (which she labeled “Record”) on the left side and her personal reactions (“Respond”) on the right.
Possible system to use. I would maybe want to add more columns then just respond as there are many things one can respond to (senses, language, actions, etc.)
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requires honesty
I think honesty is very important in all aspects of field notes, but did not think about it at all until now. Accurate data is honest data.
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Computers, too, have orga-nizing features that can help you label and fi nd pieces of your fi eldnotes when you need them.
Very similar to the notion of organizing notes in classes.
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Expand your fi eldnotes by reading them; by adding details of conversations, sensory impressions, and contextual information; by noting your observations and refl ections; and by jotting down possible ques-tions and hunches.
Right after the period of observation you will remember much more than in extended periods of time after (hours, days) and as noted, this missed information will affect the research.
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You should develop a personal, systematic way of taking fi eldnotes.
I wonder if there are good starting points/a common place of observation for all researchers as they begin. Entering a field is overwhelming so it would definitely be useful to have a set plan on what to do what you enter, and then see what you observe from there.
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specifi c underlife behaviors
what exactly are underlife behaviors? other, more general examples?
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Our own students often feel so over-whelmed by the sheer amount of possible data to record that at fi rst they write very little
I find that I often take notes on too much–how problematic would this be? You're not missing information but is all the information hiding what is important?
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“Anxiety about loss of fi eldnotes has come up so many times and so dramatically — images of burning appear quite often. . . . The many legends, apocryphal or not, about lost fi eldnotes probably fi ts [sic] into this category of horrifi c and yet delicious, forbidden fan-tasy.”
Field notes take a lot of time and are central to a study. Without these notes, basically, there is no study and the notes cannot be replicated as you cannot travel back in the past. I did not really grasp the importance of field notes until now.
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Our experience as researchers has shown us that any fi eldnote format that you borrow or design needs to be organized enough so that you can retrieve specifi c pieces of data eas-ily, even months later.
Are there common sections and headings that can be used by researchers? or does organization depend completely on the project and particular researcher?
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Efforts are made to avoid pregnancy by the use of magical materials or by limiting intercourse to certain phases of the moon.
How are American women different to women in other cultures? Who would these practices (birth control, maternity wear) seem strange to?
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It is not uncommon for the patient to bemoan the rejection he felt upon being weaned as a babe, and a few individuals even see their troubles going back to the traumatic effects of their own birth.
Now that I think about it, our therapies/psychological practices can really come across strange to someone with no understanding or background/from a completely different culture. This section wasn't as funny/shocking to me.
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It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures.
Again, could never imagine brushing your teeth to be viewed or interpreted in this light.
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The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live.
Interesting way to view a medicine cabinet, but also interesting to see that this is a possible viewpoint as bathrooms and their interiors are so normal and mundane to us.
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Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose.
Shrines as in bathrooms?
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They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles.
Never head the United States described as this before! Took me a minute to realize what this "place" was and that I'm a part of it.
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He describes the medicine chest as a “shrine” that holds magic potions and “charms.” The toothbrush is “a small bundle of hog hairs” for the application of “magical powders.”
Interesting how just calling/labeling some different causes us to view it in a different light.
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satire, a technique that distances the reader from the event or practice under con-sideration.
I never thought about how satire, comedy, parodies, etc. distance us from something. As we see something in a new light and are able to make fun of it, we are not as attached to it and as defensive of it.
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Although we would not classify modern families as subcultures, they do have some of the features of a subculture and prepare us to observe outside our own home territory.
I wonder what things my family does that may seem strange to others.
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Fieldworkers realize that ordinary events in one culture might seem extraordi-nary in another.
In my own life, I know that many of the rituals, chants, and activities my sorority participates in seem unusual and even unnecessary to outsiders. Since I understand the reason behind these things, however, I do not judge them as that weird as I know I would as an outsider.
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colonization
An example of bias: believing that we are superior, more sophisticated, etc. Is it possible to completely guard against this?
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By learning from people in a culture what it is like to be part of their world,
Can one ever fully understand/comprehend what it is like to be in another culture? I would assume one's upbringing, bias, etc. would make this impossible.
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Fieldworkers study the customs of groups of people in the spaces they inhabit.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each stance? As ethnologists, should we aim to use both stances in our work, or sometimes do we need only use one?
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will encourage you not only to watch others but also to watch yourself as you watch them.
Interesting to think about how we act when we observe others i.e. to focus on ourselves when we are focused on others. This requires us to step out of our bodies and view the world with a neutral version of ourselves in it.
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fi eldworking sharpens our abilities to look closely at surround-ings.
I can imagine there are so many things daily none of take into account and notice. Our lives are so busy...is it possible/feasible to ever notice everything?
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