Week 3 Activity

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Wilfrid Laurier University *

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100

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Anthropology

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Dec 6, 2023

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Fieldwork & Representation – Activities Worksheet Below you will find all the lesson activities from Module 3: Fieldwork & Representation that require a written answer. Any activities that are formatted as a quiz or reflection activities are not included in this worksheet but are equally important. This word document will provide you a space to work through each of these activities. These activities are not meant to replace the content found in your textbook, the additional readings, videos, or in the modules associated with this week. Instead, their purpose is to provide you with a deeper understanding of the course content.

Learning Activity 1 Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has just stepped into Toronto’s Pearson Airport for the first time. They are arriving in Toronto in early October and the weather is about to change. School began almost four weeks ago and Ontarians are about to celebrate the Thanksgiving long weekend. In 250 words (plus minus 10% so 225- 275, I won’t read above 275 words ) , create a snap-shot - a narrative-style story(s) (a first person story)- of what you think life might be like for a new family of 6 coming to live in Toronto, Ontario. When doing this exercise, think about the following questions: • What differences might they encounter in terms of language, living habits, climate, sounds, sights, tastes, cultural attributes, etc. • What might create an embarrassing or awkward situation? • What societal factors might the family have to contend with in the first few weeks, for example, when might Ali begin school? How might they be affected by the long weekend? As you are reflecting on and answering these questions, you may want to draw on experiences or situations that you have encountered in the past. Trying to understand someone else’s life experiences, to ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ are some of the tools that anthropologists use as a means to explore and learn about culture, and it is what we explore next. On October 2 nd , a plane full of passengers arriving from Jordan landed at Toronto Pearson. A family of 6 who left their country to start a new life elsewhere. As a family coming from a place that is entirely opposite to where they are now, everything felt surreal. As they stepped outside of the airport, they instantly distinguished the difference in places; things like air quality, temperature, and environment were some of the things they noticed in their few seconds of being in Canada. The family will have many challenges to overcome while trying to transition to a Canadian lifestyle. The hardest being the language barrier as in Jordan they predominantly speak Arabic while Canada’s main languages are English and French. Also, since school started in September the kids in the family will need to enroll in school as early as possible because it will help them slowly transition and learn how to live in Canada. One thing that might be a challenge for the kids is the bullying or harassment they could endure while in school, as they are immigrants and don’t speak the language at all. Another big factor is the fact that thanksgiving is on the horizon and will be a big moment for the family of 6. This is because this will be the point where they decide to continue with the traditions they have been practicing in Jordan or attempt to adjust to Canadian life and celebrate Thanksgiving. Overall, it will be a challenging time for the family, but they will have to choose what will be best for them.

Learning Activity 2 Who is this? Based your answer on the textbook. Respond in up to 50 words (without bibliography). Demonstrate familiarity with the textbook. Provide a citation (follow Chicago Citation Style- refer yourself to MyLS post on this topic). The photo above shows a man by the name of Bronislaw Malinowski, who was an anthropologist. He was different from other anthropologists as he was one of the first to “abandon the armchair approach” ( Robbins, 2020). He did this by making fieldwork a priority and saw the effectiveness of this method. According to your textbook, recall three factors that made this researcher different from other researchers who conducted fieldwork. Respond in full sentences. Do not use bullet point structure. As I stated earlier, one of the factors that made Malinowski different from other anthropologists was his abandonment of the armchair approach. An example of this is when he went to New Guinea, and unable to get back to London, he ended up staying there longer and was able to conduct thorough research. This made him realize the importance of participant observation in fieldwork. Another factor that made him different was his ability to make use of participant observation as well as formalize long-term fieldwork. Finally, he was one of the first to manage participant observation and set the groundwork for being able to manage participant observation which led the way for future anthropologists.

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The researcher that you identified in the first photo did research in the Trobriand Islands. List three things the researcher found out while conducting research with these people. Respond in full sentences. Do not use bullet point structure. Malinowski learned a lot while doing fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands. One of the things he found out was when he was writing about his interactions with the Trobriander's, he would later review the notes and turn them into ethnography and make it through the view of the native which would later be called the emic perspective. Another thing he learned while he spent his time with the Trobriander was that hierarchy was less crucial than just understanding one’s culture. Lastly, was his discovery of the importance of fieldwork and specifically participant observation and how effective it is at getting information. Learning Activity 3 Using the previous scenario where an ethnographer wants to understand what life is like as a student of Wilfrid Laurier University, think about who could represent a key participant, that they could observe and interview, then think about a key event they could attend in order to gain deeper insight to everyday student life. In no less than 200 words (that means 200 or more, plus minus 10% that is between 180- 200 words; I won’t read responses above 2220 words ) , identify at least one key participant and one key event and explain why you chose them. You are not to use the example of an Orientation Week as has already been used in our course notes posted on MyLS. I believe a key participant in this study would be some researcher who participates in school activities. This means the researcher acts more like a student, to try to understand the life of student and what they go through daily. The reason why the researcher would act as a student is that students tend to act differently to people of status at school. For example, a student would not interact with a professor the same way as they do with fellow students. I feel a key

event for the researcher is to be a part of is exam season/midterm season. The reason for this choice is that the researcher can see almost every aspect of the student's experience. Through exam season, students must carefully balance schoolwork, social life, private life, and potentially a job. The researcher can utilize participant observation and attempt to understand the mentality of a student and the different emotions they feel throughout a given time. This key event is a very important time in a student's life at school, so being able to observe and understand a student at Wilfrid Laurier University would give a much better insight into the stress of tests, as well as the social gatherings where students can lay back and enjoy the little things. Learning Activity 4 Below is a list of potential topics for anthropological investigation. Associate at least one of the tools above with each of the topics below. As you assign specific tools to topics, consider the additional information you could possibly investigate by adding another tool. Ask yourself: • What kind of information do you think you could gather? • You also need to think about the population you would be researching and ask yourself, who would benefit from this investigation and why? As you’ll read in our text, anthropologists seek to conduct research beyond their usefulness to academia; instead, anthropologists often consider the benefit their research might have for the population which they are studying. Here is an example of the potential tools that an ethnographer might use if conducting research on border-crossing in Morocco (number 1 in the list of potential titles). From the title, we can guess that the researcher might be interested in understanding how different generations of family members might experience crossing borders in and outside of Morocco. Therefore, an ethnographer might choose to collect life histories using interviews or focus groups to better understand how experiences of crossing borders have changed over time or experienced differently from one generation to the next. If a researcher was interested in how, where, when and through what means their participants crossed borders, they might choose to ask their participants to draw a map of the border and perhaps provide nuanced understanding of official border maps. These maps would give the researcher nuanced understandings of border crossing places and provide insight into the meanings and significance of these spaces, for that particular individual or generation.

It is important to note that there is no one right tool to use, or not use, when conducting an investigation; however, the tool an ethnographer choses will affect the kind of information an ethnographer collects. It is mandatory to refer to tools mentioned in our course notes. Answer in 50 words for both “Chosen Tool” and “Rationale for choice” section Title of Research Project Tool & Rationale Migration Trajectories: Experiences of border- crossing across generations in Morocco Chosen tool: Life histories Rationale for choice: The reason for choosing Life Histories as a tool is to understand what the people experienced through different generations. For example, maybe they have a story of their ancestors crossing with a completely different method rather than what they use today. Also, the researcher could get more insight into how they were treated during different time periods. A Topography of Dignity: The making of safe spaces in Northern Ireland Chosen tool: Mapping techniques Rationale for choice: When looking at topography and spaces, mapping could be a good tool for an anthropologist. They will be able to understand the meanings of different places in Northern Ireland and be able to associate it with certain areas that will be safe. The Presence of the Past: A historical ethnography of a Spanish village Chosen tool: Learn the language Rationale for choice: When looking at a historical

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place, for instance, the Spanish village it is important to understand the local people of this village. The researcher will be able to go into depth to understand the cultural values as well as see how the vulture has changed throughout the centuries. Camouflaged Identities and Army Wives: Narratives of Self and Place on the Margins of the U.S. Military Family Chosen tool: Visual Documentation Rationale for choice: Talking to the families of those with military backgrounds, it could be useful to collect information through several narratives and documents. This could help the anthropologist understand the struggles of military families as well as see the reason for their patriotism. Delhi in the Electrical Age: Technologies of rule and the rites of power in India's Capital Chosen tool: Surveys Rationale for choice: The ability to get information from many different people in all of Delhi will greatly help with understanding the issue. You can see from people’s responses how the power is being distributed and then create a solution from the information you have received. Religion, Nationalism, and Ethnicity in Israel: Fostering belonging among the Karaite Jewish community Chosen tool: Event Analysis Rationale for choice: A researcher can watch an

event that the Karaite Jews are participating and try to understand the culture and reasoning for why they are doing this. Also, after the event the researchers can ask these people about their experience and how they feel in correlation to the Karaite community. The Anastenaria: A study in Greek ritual therapy Chosen tool: Genealogy Rationale for choice: Being able to see a family's ’ history in regard to the Anastenaria can give insight into the creation of how this ritual came to be. Also, by looking through the family tree, you can see who actually migrated to Greece in a time period as well as understand the reasoning behind it. Making Modern Muslims: Embodied politics, piety, and language in Urban Java, Indonesia Chosen tool: Social Network Analysis Rationale for choice: Analyzing the way Muslims in Java connect with each other as well as how they interact online can give an insight into how they are adapting to the modern world. Furthermore, seeing the frequency of how often they utilize social networks compared to the past can see their adaptation. New Markets, New Bodies: An ethnography of Brazil's beauty industry Chosen tool: Visual Documentation

Rationale for choice: The researchers can document different standards of beauty in Brazil. They can then compare their information to the beauty in previous era ’s. This will give them a deeper understanding into the evolution into the beauty and how it is affected by culture and other events. Sovereignty Abroad: The U.S. Air Force in Manta, Ecuador Chosen tool: Surveys Rationale for choice: Seeing how there is a military base in another country can be off-putting to civilian. By asking the people in Manta what they think about the base, the researchers can gain a deeper knowledge into the thought process of the Ecuadorians. Learning Activity 5 Visit the following link from the AAA Ethics Blog: http://ethics.americananthro.org/medical- volunteering-abroad/ Here you will find a short description of an ethics issue related to anthropology that is appearing in the news and other online media, accompanied by links to original source material. The following is an excerpt of their very first post from March 27 th , 2016. Read through the post and answer the questions found at the end. Answer the following questions using what you read in your textbook this week and through your course notes. Your answers should be two to three sentences long for each question. 1. What are the ethical dilemmas surrounding American medical residents’ internships abroad? Respond in at least 50 words The ethical dilemma surrounding medical residents’ internships is the fact that in North

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America, it is deemed unethical to provide any health care work if you are not licenced. Also, sending lots of volunteers abroad doesn’t help the issue as the trained healthcare workers have to train the volunteers instead of helping patients. 2. Who are the stakeholders in this scenario? Respond in at least 25 words The stakeholders of this scenario are the people of these third world countries. The reason for this being that the unqualified staff will not be of great use because they need to be taken care of by the actual medical professionals. 3. Who stands to gain the most from the whole exchange? Respond in at least 25 words Taking in all the factors of this exchange, it seems to be that the volunteers are the ones gaining the most. This is because they are able to learn other procedures that cannot be done in the United States. This will help them in their own practice as it can give them more experience but doesn't help the local communities abroad. 4. What ethical codes of conduct would you apply to this scenario? Respond in at least 50 words There are many breaches of ethical codes in the given scenario. Starting off with “ weighing competing ethical obligations ” ; this is with regards to the volunteers working on people abroad without any licensing which is unethical in North America. I also feel like “do not harm” could be eligible in this scenario as being a n untrained and unlicensed healthcare volunteer could result in an injury to someone. This could be for a variety of reasons, but I do feel that it is quite dangerous for someone who doesn’t have the proper experience to be dealing with someone els e’s health.

Week 3 Activity

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