Objective: Connects social and cultural life aspects that are not automatically connected.
Methodology
Gathering Information: Trying to gather non-apparent information through regular presence.
Understanding Cultural Integration: Examining how Haitian refugees and immigrants adapt new systems, cultures, and languages in the Greater Boston area.
Case Studies
Haitian Social Service Organization
Research Focus: How communities adapt and what it means to be an American, especially for those from abroad.
Artisan Cheese Making in Vermont
Cultural and Economic Study: Investigating the culture and economy of farmstead and artisan cheese making.
Learning Methods: Different approaches to learning cheese-making, from informal kitchen practices to formal courses.
Definition of Artisan Cheese: Emphasizes manual process and sensory experiences of the cheesemaker, not easily definable.
Marine Biology and Oceanography
Engagement with Scientists: Involves lab work and sea expeditions.
Research Goals: Understanding ocean ecology and producing authoritative knowledge about the ocean world.
Challenges: Adequate health information access for undocumented individuals, citizenship issues related to health and security.
Challenges in Fieldwork
Representation of Human Experience: Anthropologists highlight dimensions not readily apparent.
Ethical and Moral Questions: Address questions on law, health, and power relations.
Participant Observation: Involves firsthand experience to ask better questions.
Changes and Similarities in Research Approaches
Transformation in Techniques: Genomics and bioinformatics alter the interaction between lab and field.
Interdisciplinary Similarities: Similar fieldwork questions exist between oceanographers and ethnographers.
Importance of Fieldwork
Seeing Beyond the Surface: Fieldwork allows seeing below the surface, demanding yet rewarding.
Building Trust: Important to be trusted by people to gain insights into their lives.