Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of the various facets of human existence in both the past and the present. There are four subcategories of anthropology that can be distinguished: cultural anthropology, social anthropology, language anthropology, and physical anthropology.
Social and Cultural Anthropology
The study of social and cultural standards and values is known as social and cultural anthropology.
Linguistic Anthropology
On the other side, linguistic anthropology investigates how language affects human social life.
Biological Anthropology
Contrarily, biological anthropology examines the biological or bodily evolution of people.
Archaeology
It is also important to note that archaeology, which deals with the study of past human cultures through the investigation of physical evidence, for example, artifacts, is considered to be a branch of anthropology in some parts of the world, for example, in the United States of America (USA). In other parts of the world, for example in Europe, archaeology is viewed as a discipline on its own, or it is grouped under other related disciplines, for example, history.
Anthropologists
An anthropologist is a person that is engaged in the activities of anthropology. An anthropologist covers a variety of topics within anthropology during the undergraduate studies, however, at the graduate level, an anthropologist specializes in a topic of his/her own choice. It can be acknowledged that anthropologists operate under a strict code of ethics which acts as a guide to how they are supposed to behave, conduct research, and interact with various stakeholders while conducting their research.
Research Critique
This particular paper is a critique of an article referred to as ‘The outsider’ by Rachel Burr, which describes the dilemma she was faced with as an anthropologist while conducting research in Vietnam. It is important to note that this paper will do this by identifying what makes ethnographic work challenging yet effective, highlighting the challenges Rachel faced during her field work in Vietnam, and by selecting and justifying one out of the three options Rachel was faced with during her ethnographic work.
Ethnography
An ethnography is a systematic study of different cultures. It is designed for the sole purpose of exploring cultural phenomena by giving the researcher an opportunity to observe society from the view of the subject of the study. It is true to state that different things make ethnographic fieldwork challenging and effective. Some of the challenges include the following; it is time-consuming, requires more commitment, the personal safety of the researcher is at risk, and it requires a substantial amount of capital. However, it is important to note that ethnographic fieldwork is usually effective because it has a much higher level of accuracy and this can be attributed to the fact that the researcher engages in participant observation.
The Dilemma Faced by Rachel Burr
The main challenge Rachel Burr faced during her ethnographic fieldwork in Vietnam was the dilemma of whether she, as the ethnographer, should intervene if the children she was studying in Vietnam continuously engaged in activities that put their lives at risk. As an anthropologist conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Vietnam just like Rachel was and faced with the three options Rachel Burr was faced with, I would choose not to intervene as this would significantly alter the results of the study I would be conducting. As an ethnographer, I’m supposed to study the society through participant observation, thus, not deliberately changing the way of life of the people I would be studying.
Bibliography
Geertz, Clifford. Works and lives: The anthropologist as author. Stanford University Press, 1988.
POLICY, TOWARDS AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF. "A new field of anthropology." Anthropology of Policy: Perspectives on Governance and Power (1997) 1 (1997).
Robben, Antonius CGM, and Jeffrey A. Sluka. Ethnographic fieldwork: An anthropological reader. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
