[Air-l] re: ethnography

[Slater,D]

I now see that Maximilian made all of my points in about a third of the
number of words - this is exactly right.

don

_______________________________________________

Don Slater
Reader in Sociology, London School of Economics

Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE
Tel: +44 (020) 7849 4653
Fax: +44 (020) 7955 7405

 http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/slater

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-----Original Message-----
From: Maximilian Forte [mailto:mcforte at kacike.org] 
Sent: 18 February 2004 14:01
To: air-l at aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-l] re: ethnography


So I just don't see the point of denying (as I feel Maximillian is) or
eliding (as I feel Don was) the power dynamic intrinsic in ethnographic
research (and other social research as Ed suggested).

I don't feel that I was denying power relations--I was actually
expanding on them. What I did say is that power relations are not just
uni-directional, except in simplistic and conspiratorial critiques that
themselves deny a voice to those whose experiences suggest something
very different.

It all depends on what kind of indviduals and groups you are working
with: if they are hapless little children, then I could see why we would
be concerned about the presumed omnipotence of the ethnographer. If you
are working against such subjects, or with the aim of getting data and
then dumping them as soon as possible, then again I could see where
research subjects may be marginalized, excluded, etc--but they may also
be very relieved to be rid of you. They may also be realists and realize
that whatever is written about them in academia matters little because,
after all, reports buried in specialist journals can almost be
considered "private" discussions given the general population's lack of
interest in these publications. There is also ethnography in the action
research mode, strong forms of collaboration, etc., that simply make
rubbish of the sometimes overwrought critiques of ethnography.

The answers are not to be found in libraries "before you head out
there": it's a matter of not being too naive--we are not these
overwhelmingly important, omnipotent centres of the universe that we
believe ourselves to be, a view which is perhaps flattering to
ourselves. I am concerned about anyone thinking in patronizing or
condescending terms of our so-called informants, ignoring their own
actual power. If one of the main questions you ask yourself as
researchers while engaged in field work is "am I an oppressor" (instead
of "am I a pawn"), then I would go as far as saying that you are
deluding yourself, or that you should quit the research and pick on
someone your own size :)

Cheers,

Dr Maximilian C. Forte
Assistant Professor in Anthropology
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
University College of Cape Breton
P.O. Box 5300, Sydney, NS, Canada, B1N 1A3
Tel: 902-563-1947
Fax: 902-563-1247
E-mail: max_forte at uccb.ca
Website: http://faculty.uccb.ns.ca/mforte/



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