Globe-trotting in Sandals: a Field Guide to Cultural Research

Provides guidance in the practical aspects of fieldwork and gives suggestions for collecting both qualitative and quantitative cultural data.

The author was inspired by students and fieldworkers to write a practical field guide to cultural research for those who want to discover culture from an emic perspective. It is useful to ethnographers, development workers, sociologists, missionaries, and anyone who desires to study another culture in depth and covers a wide range of topics:

• Ethics in cultural research
• Preparation for fieldwork
• Beginning fieldwork
• Participant observation
• Language learning
• The ethnographic record
• Informal interviews
• Structured interviews

Table of Contents

Preface

1. Introduction to Cultural Research Methods
2, Ethics in Cultural Research
3. Preparation for Field Research
4. Beginning Fieldwork
5. Participant Observation
6. Language Learning
7. The Ethnographic Record
8. Informal Interviews
9. Structured Interviews: Beyond Impressions and Anecdotes
10. Statistical Analysis of Social Science Data
11. Demography
12. Maps
13. Material Culture
14. Kinship
15. Marriage, Descent, and Residence
16. Life Histories
17. Social Networks
18. A Cognitive Approach to Worldview
19. Values
20. Oral Traditions
21. Analysis of Oral Traditions
22. Music
23. Rapid Appraisals
24. Social Impact Analysis
25. Other Field Methods: Time Allocation Studies, Communicative Events, Modeling, LinguaLinks
26. Completion of a Field Project: Publication of Research Results Authorship

Appendix: Resources
References
Index