I think that ethnographers have a very interesting job. I think it's very interesting that they get to learn about people by observing them. Ethnographers learn from observations. "Their reasons for observing behavior, however, are scientific, not personal." (Trenholm, P. 379) Ethnographers want to try and understand how members of other cultures interpret their own world. In order to understand these other cultures ethnographers must put themselves into another culture to see through the eyes of its members.
One moral dilemma that can occur is that the group the ethnographer is trying to study does not trust the ethnographer. Some groups are very skeptical of other people coming into their culture and trying to observe their way of life. People don't want to feel exposed. One way that an ethnographer can resolve this issue is by slowly gaining the trust of the people of the culture he/she is observing and not breaking that trust.
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I like how you mentioned that a researcher is after a scientific answer, and it's not personal. Sometimes the reasons ethnographers immerse themselves in particular topics is because these issues may direct them personally, but their research is scientific. Say you were a girl who grew up with an eating disorder, even though an eating disorder is very personal to you, you have the ability to put that aside and examine the issue as objectively as possible. Not only could you contribute to scientific knowledge due to your personal connections and dedication towards the subject, but your findings would be bound by research and not the personal. Sometimes people are quick to say that science should not be personal or subjective whatsoever, but when you think about it, how do you know what to look for if you've never been exposed to your field of study?
ReplyDeleteThe job of an ethnographer is incredibly interesting, but I often wonder if their hanging around/observing affects those being studied. Maybe I’m getting ethnographers confused with cultural anthropologists, but every time I watch one of those National Geographic or Discovery Channel shows about a study of an indigenous group of people, I wonder if their on the best behavior because they know they’re being recorded or studied. Are there behaviors that are a cultural taboo? In fact, it may be a moral dilemma if the ethnographer chooses to censor (or reveal) the information to the public for fear of judgement. For example, if an ethnographer is studying an African tribe that practices gruesome animal sacrifices, the mass publication of that information may result in defamation of those people.
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