Research Methods|Entering the Fieldwork

Zhenting HE / 2024-09-09

Core Questions #

  • Where to go?
  • How to enter the field?
  • What to do in the field? (listen, observe, ask, experience)
  • Purpose of field notes
  • How to write a fieldwork-based research paper
  • Summary: Fieldwork → Writing → Cyclical relationship

Where to Go? #

Fieldwork does not equal “rural research.” #

In theory, wherever there are people, fieldwork can be conducted:

  • Rural, urban, or national levels
  • Families, schools, hospitals, media organizations (e.g., editorial offices), laboratories, etc.
  • Within the researcher’s own culture or across cultural boundaries (cross-cultural research)

Instructor’s personal experience #

Over the past twenty years, fieldwork has mainly been conducted in:

  • “Duxiang” region
  • The “great triangle” of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet
    Focus: ethnic minorities, cross-border ethnic studies

On the Tension Between Fieldwork and Academic Reality (Student Question) #

Ethnographic research requires substantial time:

  • Preparation phase
  • Entering the field
  • Extracting and organizing notes
  • Writing papers

However, in reality:

  • Faculty research KPIs emphasize quantitative outputs
  • Students face pressure for graduation or admission (e.g., two CSSCI papers required for doctoral admission)

This creates a structural tension between “wanting to conduct in-depth fieldwork” and “limited time in reality.”

How to Enter the Field #

“Unexpected” vs. “Routine” #

Unexpected events are common in the field, but establishing routine participation is essential.

Ways to Integrate #

  • Eat, work, and live with locals
  • Learn the local language
  • Approach communities via children
  • Build trust through daily interactions

Positionality #

  • Emic (insider) perspective: Think and interpret like a local, understand their values and worldview
  • Etic (outsider) perspective: Analytical perspective from an external viewpoint
  • Multiple positionality: Ability to navigate and move between positions

Ethics & Informed Consent #

  • Respect local people’s wishes
  • Balance research needs with daily life

Importance of Language #

  • Language is crucial for entering the field and understanding culture
  • Using the local language fosters closer relationships and more authentic insights

What to Do in the Field #

Listening #

  • Understand and listen fully
  • Listen to conversations, meetings, “small talk,” and marginal voices
  • Pay attention to voices that are different or marginalized

Observing #

  • Conduct participant observation
  • Participation takes priority over passive observation
  • Gain experiential understanding through personal engagement

Experiencing #

  • Engage all senses: sight, smell, taste, touch
  • Acquire embodied experience
  • Example: Stories from a TV room reflecting how media is embedded in daily life

Asking #

  • Ask about what you don’t understand
  • Ask about daily, concrete matters
  • Focus on questions closely related to local life
  • Principle: Observe first, then ask; let materials guide your questions
  • Reference: “Asking Questions: Differences Between Anthropologists and Journalists”

Purpose of Field Notes #

  • Stimulate thinking: Writing engages the brain
  • Organize thoughts
  • Generate research questions: Many questions emerge from notes
  • Preserve context and feelings
  • Remain faithful to field experiences: Avoid misrepresenting lived experience in writing

What to write:

  • What you see, hear, feel, and think
  • Reference: “Thinking Through Writing: Fieldnotes in Ethnographic Research”

How to Write a Fieldwork-Based Paper #

Bridging Concepts #

  • Build a bridge between empirical material and theory
  • Not about “forcing theory” but thinking about how theory explains or illuminates data

Case Example: The Concept of “Presence” #

Relevant papers:

  • “Presence: A Media Anthropology Concept Based on Chinese Experience”
  • “Presence: Television Viewing from an Ethnographic Perspective—Reinterpretation of Duxiang Field Data”

Using common local TV-viewing situations → develop the concept of “presence.”

Key Points #

  • Focus on fundamental questions
  • Critically reflect on concepts like “audience”
  • Highlight local knowledge that is often hidden
  • Theoretical expression should be grounded in empirical material
  • Link data through theory to conduct analysis and interpretation

Summary: Fieldwork → Notes → Writing Cycle #

  1. Enter the field
  2. Record and accumulate materials
  3. Extract research questions from materials
  4. Use theory to construct analytical frameworks
  5. Write and return to materials for verification
  6. Continuously iterate between theory and data
#Research Methods

Last modified on 2024-09-09