The research on the field consists in switching from the personal experience to the paper redaction, so the ethnographer witness and produce the information about social and cultural process. In the first article I hinted this topic talking about Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski.
Now, let’s contextualize both anthropologists.
The first one begins his anthropological study after have been a geographer in several expeditions. This choice came after he was affected by Inuit’s lifestyle. Contrary to the ethnographer and geographer Friedrich Ritzel, which states the environment as primary cause of any populations’ lifestyle, Boas bears that it’s the culture of the population to determinate its lifestyle. Boas is the founder of scientific anthropology, being the first studying on the field the culture of a population. He introduces the scientific method in this humanities, also known as inductive method, because he studies both peculiarities, exceptions and historic causes which determinate the culture.
In the masterpiece “The Argonauts of the Western Pacific” by B.Malinowski borns the idea of participant observation. The Polish anthropologist theorizes the principles of the research on the field while describing the Kula, the traditional exchange of goods between the Papua mainland and its littoral islands. Firstly, the participant observer defines the methodology of the anthropological research, living as much close as possible with the indigenous and taking part to their daily and traditional life as well.
The researcher should leave with strong theoretical base about his hosting culture, in order to understand and be accepted by the community. Besides, a research on the field shoud last six months at least. If you want to embark on this kind of experience it is better to learn the local language and their methods of communication. It seems easy but you should be aware of any little steps before going in lost places, where even daily technical instruments are hard to find (I mean also pencils and notebook!).
The research on the field normally flows through what is called a research journal, where the anthropologist notes every information about the population he’s living with. However, the anthropologist notes pass through an experience of interpretation, because it is the instinctive step of cultural understanding. Therefore cultural anthropology grounds on reflections, not on objectivity. For reflection I mean a critical approach to the cultural experience. In anthropology the research is an highly reflective experience because it is built in a relation among subjects, intertwining the indigenous culture with the anthropologist cultural approach develop in his society. Consequently, in Anthropology you discover your own identity, while catching the diversity.