ANT 2000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Ancient Society, Edward Burnett Tylor, Trobriand Islands
Document Summary
Chapter 13 notes: method and theory in cultural anthropology. Ethnographers strive to establish rapport, a good, friendly working relationship based on personal contact, with their hosts. One of the ethnographer"s most characteristic procedures is participant observation, which means that we take part in community life as we study it. Participating in local life means that ethnographers constantly talk to people and ask questions. As their knowledge of the local language and culture increases, they understand more. Every community has people who by accident, experience, talent, or training can be provided the most complete or useful information about particular aspects of life. Key cultural consultants: persons who are experts on a particular aspect of local life. Most ethnographers now enter the field with a specific problem to investigate, and they collect data relevant to that problem. Marvin harris (1968/2001) popularized the following meaning of the terms: Emic: the research strategy that focuses on local explanations and criteria for significance.
