Doing Field Projects. John Forrest
in this book to show you how I derived my methods, and you (and your instructor) are free to question them, and alter them, instead of treating them as absolute instructions to be obeyed without demur. What I do works for me (usually); it may not work for you. All I can do is tell you why my methods work for me. That is why the book is (minimally) reflexive.
This is a book about learning how to do fieldwork and how to present your findings to your instructor or some other relatively self-contained, or private, audience. You are not being asked to create a polished finished product to be widely disseminated. That enterprise is a step beyond what is required of you here. Organizing your field data and presenting it to your instructor is an intermediate step between gathering the data in the first place, and honing it into professional-level output. That final step is not within the purview of this book. If you have an interest in pursuing this subject more, specifically as it relates to both the gathering of data and the conversion of data to output for public consumption, you can consult the anthology, Fieldnotes, The Makings of Anthropology edited by Roger Sanjek (1990) or Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes by Robert Emerson et al. (2011). The latter book is primarily concerned with how you go about taking notes during fieldwork and should also be consulted in this regard, because the process is not as obvious as may seem at first, and there are many wrinkles that you may not have thought of. Although in its second edition, the book is somewhat dated given the technologies now available to fieldworkers. When I present the individual projects in this book, I give different strategies for note taking depending on the nature of the project.
Individual projects in this book offer a wide array of methods for presenting your data including standard written reports, PowerPoint slide shows, videos, blogs, and so on, and which one you choose will depend on the parameters of the project, your instructor’s requirements, and your own preferences.
Notes
1 1 See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/246054591_Emics_and_Etics_The_InsiderOutsider_Debate for further details.
2 2 I identified each of the people I interviewed with a pair of capital letters that kept their identity hidden from outsiders, but used a simple algorithm for me to be able to identify them easily. Meanwhile, in my transcriptions I used JF for myself.
2 Getting Started
You cannot simply dive into fieldwork unprepared. Not only do you need certain basic equipment, which will vary from project to project, you also need to have a firm grasp from the beginning on how to carry out and execute a project from start to finish. We can take these procedures step by step.
Equipment
Smartphone
Your smartphone can replace many of the traditional tools of the fieldworker including notepad, camera, and voice recorder, and can be used as such from time to time. There are, however, several dangers in using your smartphone for all your fieldwork needs. First and foremost, there are multiple ways that your phone can fail, including damage, battery failure, and loss of signal. Thus, even if you are comfortable multitasking on your phone, you should always have a backup system for everything (notes, photos, voice recording) – always. In any event, it is much more functional if you can have separate, dedicated equipment for voice recording, photography, and note taking. Imagine trying to hold an interview concerning a skilled process, take photos, and keep notes all at the same time using a smartphone only.
One major problem with a smartphone is that it is a phone. You do not want to be in the middle of an interview only to have a text message or a phone call come through. You can silence these options, of course, and you should during fieldwork even when you have other devices with you. On the whole, though, it is a much simpler option to have separate equipment with you dedicated to voice recording and photography, as needed. With many smartphones you also have to contend with memory issues. If your phone is packed with selfies and holiday pix, you may run into memory shortages at critical junctures. This problem is especially acute when it comes to lengthy voice recordings. You do not want to be halfway through an interview and run out of memory. You could also run into battery issues with voice or video recording.
Technology has the bad habit of failing on you at the worst possible time, meaning that you can miss opportunities, some of which may be gone forever. Therefore, redundancy is always important. Not only will you be grateful for having a notebook and voice recorder with you when your smartphone battery dies, but you will also be relieved of having to use your phone for every fieldwork function. On the other hand, if your voice recorder or camera malfunctions, you will be glad that your smartphone can pick up the slack (especially if you carry a portable power pack with you for instant recharging). REDUNDANCY!!!
Notebook
Even in this digital age, a small notebook and pen are still important tools for doing fieldwork. I say this, not because I was trained in the 1970s and am stuck in my ways, but because notebook and pen are invaluable adjuncts to other equipment. For example, when you are recording an interview, you can jot down questions that come up, but which are inconvenient to ask at that moment. When I am doing fieldwork, I usually have with me my camera bag containing my 35 mm DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera (which is also a video camera), spare lenses, extra batteries, and a sound recorder. It is a small unobtrusive bag that anyone might carry around with their daily essentials. It also has a front pocket where I keep my smartphone and my notebook and pens (plural – always have a spare). “Always have a spare” should be your mantra. Running out of ink or battery power should never be a problem.
The most basic point about fieldwork, whether you are working with one person, or you are in a crowded situation, is that you should not draw unnecessary attention to yourself. You are aiming for people to act naturally around you; otherwise, your data can be unduly compromised. As it is, our presence as a fieldworker changes the situation, but you want to minimize this effect as much as you can, or, at the very least, take your presence into account. Unshipping a giant video camera and tripod or pulling out a professional laptop, not only draws attention to yourself, it also alters the way that people categorize you and respond to you. Furthermore, it is not just big pieces of fancy equipment that can get people uncomfortable. Even a full-sized notepad or a clipboard is intrusive. How many times have you seen a person standing on a street carrying a clipboard and you have wanted to walk in the other direction or duck for cover? A little pocket-sized notebook is far less threatening. You don’t even need a bag to carry it in. You can show up for a session in your normal clothes with it in a pocket, and you can start talking or observing before you even take out your notebook. You want to be unobtrusive, but not secretive. It is unethical to document people without their knowledge and informed consent. We will get into specifics in individual projects because there are major differences between public events and private interviews. Just keep the basic principle in the forefront of your mind.
I did the great bulk of my PhD dissertation fieldwork carrying only a small, pocket-sized notepad and pen into the field during the day. I had much larger notebooks in my room for writing up my formal notes each evening, and I kept my finished notes in orderly file folders. But my small notepad was my constant companion. Keep in mind though that you need to get into the habit of taking notes at a regular pace when you are using a notebook, so that the people you are working with do not start to believe that the things you write down are more important than the things you do not. They are not anyway, but you do not want to give that impression.
If you are skilled at taking notes quickly and accurately using the notepad app on your smartphone, then use it. Typically, however, people have a hard job taking notes as fast on a smartphone as with notebook and pen. Experiment if you are unsure. Type the following notes (or something equivalent) on your smartphone and then write them in a notebook, and figure out which method is easier,