Confessions of an ethnographer part 1

Stayed tuned. Over the next few days/weeks/months...who knows. I'm going to be giving a very intimate look into the life of an ethnographer and what it means to be an anthropologist.

We get nice and neat papers and theories but have you ever wondered what goes into getting that material? We anthropologists are human after all and we have fears, hopes, dreams and emotional reactions to the things we study. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. The trick is separating out those raw thoughts and feelings to remain objective and be able to dig for those deeper insights that are there with the subjects we chose to research and the people we study. Our job is an embodied and deep experience. We are privy into secrets and well kept thoughts and feelings of our participants. We are confidants, truth secrets, curiosity driven researchers. Passion for research and insight runs in our blood. But like I said, we're also human. We laugh along with our participants, cry along with them, experience what they do (because without that deep raw experience we might as well be researching robotics). Along the way we make friendships, we come to care deeply about the people we study. We do this, all the while balancing our internal thoughts and feelings with staying objective and true to our research objectives. It's a rough balance but one we *must* maintain this for the sake of good research.

It doesn't mean we don't get stage fright or that we don't worry about how we'll be perceived. I personally am a needless worrier and have to fight my own personal insecurities. But I do it...and at the end of the day I'm a damn good researcher. We expect the people we study to open up to us and let us in. We have to give something in return. Anthropologists have always known and struggled with the fact that our previous in some way shapes and reshapes those we study. It's inevitable. The goal is to leave as little a mark as possible. So...we keep ourself wrapped in researcher objectivity while we research but don't be fooled... we're human and we have all kinds of things going on inside too.

I'm going to let you get a glimpse into the world of an ethnographer. Stay tuned! It will be harsh, realistic, funny and true. A rare treat indeed!