masterclass #3
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given by Dr. Natalie Kononenko, January 24, 2012.TRANSCRIPT
Fieldwork 101the joys and tribulations
of field research
Fieldwork – what is it
• Going out there • Fieldwork in zoology • Fieldwork in the
humanities
• We get to go out and talk to people
Why do it?
The good stuff• You have to deal with
people• It’s fun• Primary data (versus
secondary)• Freshness• Immediacy • You will have to formulate
ideas and arrange and process the data
The drawbacks• You have to deal with
people• Timidity • Awkwardness• Too much stuff• You will have to formulate
ideas and arrange and process the data
I love it
• Adventure of it all• Learning new things • Learning unexpected
things• Challenge• The people factor • It’s an Indiana Jones
sort of thing
I get to go to all sorts of places
Develop lasting relationships
Fun in Ukraine
Kazakhstan 2011
Peace Country
Northern Saskatchewan
Edmonton
Stories from fieldwork
• The Grottoes • Burned Church
revenge• Concrete tombstones
and other return of the dead
• Evil eye and egg ceremony
• The Snake Husband• Epiphany water• Taboos
Planning for fieldwork
• Picking a topic – what is important relevant• My topics and why they were chosen• Turkey• Ukraine for minstrel book• Ukraine for ritual book• Sanctuary and Canada• Kazakhstan
Preparing for fieldwork
Questionnaire • Used for interviews• Systematic set of questions• Covering all the areas
connected to the topic that you are investigating
• Allowing for digressions • Do not necessarily follow
the questionnaire • Have a system in the back of
your mind
Observation plan • Good for rituals and other
occasions where you will be an observer or participant observer
• Plan ahead so that you know what to look for
• Allow for flexibility and the unexpected
Ethical issues
• “Othering” the interviewee/respondent • Academic, research situation and person as
subject• Imposing academic terminology, perspective• Goal-orientation versus personal situation• Goal-orientation versus courtesy • The interview situation is NOT a natural one• Neither is being an observer
Willingness of people to cooperate
• People like being interviewed, observed• Makes them feel important• The scholar as the person who gives voice to
the voiceless• And you learn an enormous amount
Protecting your respondents
• HERO – a university requirement• Interview agreement• Letter of introduction• Depositor forms• Preparation in class – essentially geared to the
slide earlier• Courtesy, remember humanity and don’t
“other,” use appropriate
Preparation in class
• Courtesy• Remember the humanity of the people you deal
with• Don’t “other,” don’t treat as an object• Avoid assumptions about your respondent• Use appropriate language: don’t talk down, but
don’t use the scholarly terminology from class either
• Avoid leading questions
Rewards – I had (and have) a great time
• It made me a better lecturer – learning about performance
• The how-to of folklore, traditional techniques
• Understanding of other people, other cultures
• Imagination and creativity