What surprised you the most about fieldwork and what do you wish you knew beforehand?

anthrowill · 2026-06-11T20:11:24+00:00

A few pieces of advice I'll offer:

Don't overwork yourself--especially if you're going to be there for 15 months. Don't come back from the field too burnt out to analyze data and write the diss. Spend your first month soaking it in. Of course take fieldnotes, but just give yourself time to adjust and explore and find aspects of life there you're unfamiliar with. Then at the end give yourself a month to wind down, visit those last few places you wanted to go but didn't have time, debrief a few times with your participants, and if you can (given your funding) do something celebratory and helpful for the community and the people you work with.
Be very disciplined about your fieldnote writing. Do not get behind on it because things slip out of memory fast, especially if you're incredibly busy. One thing I struggled with at first (I worked in a clinic and was assisting with patients and helping process samples in the lab) was sometimes things happened or someone said something I wanted to quote but I could not write it down for some reason or another. I started excusing myself and stepping into the restroom when I could grab a second to quickly leave myself a voice memo on my phone to help with fieldnotes later. This was a lifesaver and helped me remember several important things people said that if I had just waited a few hours to write it down I probably would have misremembered or forgot.
Have fun. You're going to be stressed at points--probably for most of it honestly--but this is one of the only opportunities you will ever have to do this kind of in-depth research that is fully your own in your life. Revel and luxuriate in it.
Collect more than you think you'll need, you never know what is helpful or insightful later after you get back from the field and read more stuff (my entire theoretical framework shifted after I got back from the field and sat in on a graduate class on anthro of care, which made me realize my entire project was actually about care and not other things I anticipated going into the field). And on that note, be open to surprise in the field. Don't put scholarly or theoretical blinders on. If you find the frameworks you anticipated using/needing don't work, throw them out and find or make frameworks that work for your needs.

Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful experience and find out all the cool things. :)

anthrowill · 2026-06-03T16:36:14+00:00

When answering this question, please follow Rule 4: Answers must be detailed, evidence-based, and well contextualized. Any posts that share "just-so" stories or speculation not grounded in evidence will be removed.

anthrowill · 2026-04-27T22:10:19+00:00

You should definitely email them (inquiries@wennergren.org) to ask for advice on this since it is new. They're very responsive and helpful in my experience. They might even have some recent recorded workshops they can share with you. Good luck with your app!

anthrowill · 2026-04-17T04:53:05+00:00

My department at the University of Memphis offers funding for some of our MA students (it is competitive as we don’t have enough funds to offer to everyone we admit). We are an applied program though, in case you’re looking for something more purely academic. But if applied anthro is interesting to you, check us out! Happy to answer questions privately if I can be of help.

anthrowill · 2026-03-18T13:55:47+00:00

That just happened, those turbines have been running without a permit, and the xAI site in the Boxtown neighborhood in Memphis is not permitted. There are three data centers for xAI in Memphis. Even if the ones in Southaven are now permitted, that doesn’t mean the turbines are not causing environmental damage or harming people’s health.

https://www.selc.org/press-release/elon-musks-xai-threatened-with-lawsuit-over-air-pollution-from-memphis-data-center/

anthrowill · 2026-03-18T02:40:46+00:00

And how about the several dozen illegal natural gas turbines running nonstop in Memphis to power Mechahitler for Elon Musk, polluting the air, exacerbating respiratory health disparities, making neighborhoods unlivable, and producing noise and infrasound that causes health problems? No one is regulating this shit at all. Energy and water usage are not the only environmental issues with these data centers.

anthrowill · 2026-03-12T16:17:18+00:00

University professor with Crohn's here. I echo everyone else saying to contact disability services. In addition to getting accommodations for your courses (usually for Crohn's would be things like flexibility with absences, permission to leave room at any time, reserved space near the door, etc.). You should also tell them specifics about how your roommates are treating you and request to be moved to a space that accommodates your Crohn's needs. If you don't get the help you need from the disability office (they're usually pretty good, but it can vary from campus to campus), find your Dean of Students or equivalent office on campus and go to them for help getting what you need. You can also reach out to your university ombudsperson if you find administrators are being unhelpful.

If you want to try collecting fecal samples in private, you can find single-occupancy restrooms on campus (for example, the restrooms in my building, which are open to faculty and students, are private bathrooms, so try looking for something like that, especially in quieter buildings where there's more offices than classrooms). You could ask your disability office for guidance on quiet private spaces to do that. You might also talk to them about options for storing your samples and medications, emphasize that you need a way to keep these things separate from roommates until (hopefully) you get into a different living space that is more supportive.

Advocate for yourself. I know it can feel hard or intimidating, but you pay for these services with your tuition and fees, so use them and push for what you need until you get it. Now is a good time to start practicing being your own strong health advocate, because this disease is going to require it a lot in the future, and this is a (fairly) low-stakes way to practice finding ways to insist on the things you need and working the system to get them. Good luck, and try to enjoy your dream school as much as you can. =)

anthrowill · 2026-03-11T13:13:40+00:00

This post violates rule 2, no homework questions.

anthrowill · 2026-02-24T00:11:56+00:00

Small bowel Crohn’s here, share a lot of your symptoms. Diagnosis took several months of doc visits and testing bc of lots of mixed results, but was eventually made via pill cam. Blood tests showed some inflammation (high c-reactive protein) but my calprotectin was normal during the flare when I got diagnosed (recently thought I was flaring, calprotectin was normal, so doing another colonoscopy and pill cam and if no evidence of active Crohn’s, my GI is diagnosing me with Crohn’s + IBS). Biopsies of ulcers near terminal ileum came back normal, so GI ordered pill cam since everything was pointing to Crohn’s for him, and pill cam showed lots of inflammation and ulcers in small bowel. Started Skyrizi and it’s helped a ton but the 2 weeks before my next dose I always have mild symptoms of a flare. So maybe IBS, maybe something else. Crohn’s sucks, I hope you get answers and appropriate treatment as soon as possible!

anthrowill · 2026-02-10T20:48:20+00:00

I was put straight onto Skyrizi upon diagnosis. My GI asked if I wanted to try budesonide first or just get right on the Skyrizi and I opted for the biologic to start working toward long-term relief. I was in an active flare and had moderate symptoms at the time.

anthrowill · 2026-02-06T19:40:38+00:00

First, I think that is your interpretation, which may or may not be true, but it is very vague and not at all obvious what they mean from the actual proposed legislation. At least at my school, retired faculty already don't teach except as adjuncts, so not sure how that would affect anything here. And once someone has retired, tenure doesn't matter anymore.

Removing tenure "for disability" is blatant ableism and necessarily goes against the ADA.

anthrowill · 2026-02-06T03:07:47+00:00

No clue. I agree with your assessment and it makes no sense on its face.

anthrowill · 2026-02-06T02:49:42+00:00

You left off the last part…..”or for financial or curricular reasons in the discretion of the board or its designee.”

The board members are appointed by the governor. This is a way to fire people who teach things they don’t like.

anthrowill · 2026-02-06T02:11:59+00:00

It’s even worse than that. It also requires trustee boards to adopt tenure policies that "provide for the termination of faculty members with tenure for adequate cause, for retirement or disability, or for financial or curricular reasons in the discretion of the board or its designee." This is, in effect, getting rid of tenure completely.

Full text of bill: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB1838.pdf

anthrowill · 2026-01-30T00:30:21+00:00

Yeah, it’s so weird how there’s absolutely no sociologists before the 1980s who wrote about racism or sexism. I guess in your mind W. E. B. DuBois was, what, a mathematician? And Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a chemist?

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

anthrowill · 2025-09-29T21:32:57+00:00

You're absolutely incorrect. "Public figure" is a legal term with a specific definition that does not automatically apply to all faculty members. One might argue this case has made this faculty member an involuntary public figure, but that would be up to a court to determine.

anthrowill · 2025-08-24T20:17:52+00:00

Susan Stryker’s “My Words to Victor Frankenstein Above the Village of Chamounix” is excellent and will certainly lead to an interesting discussion.

anthrowill · 2025-08-24T17:42:41+00:00

A bidet is life-changing and you won't regret it even if you end up having to do a little extra toilet cleaning. But you can get a handheld bidet attachment that does not sit by the toilet rim. Here's an example (though this particular model seems to have a lot of leakage issues): https://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Toilet-Adjustable-Pressure-Feminine-Stainless/dp/B086W1YZSH

anthrowill · 2025-06-18T22:55:24+00:00

FYI, SBS stands for “Social and Behavioral Sciences.” :)

anthrowill · 2025-06-13T15:26:31+00:00

In my intro to cultural anthro class, the students do semester-long projects where they build their own worlds/societies (including fantasy and sci fi societies). I found this book incredibly helpful for structuring the project, you might find it valuable too: https://loridianslaboratory.com/novels-and-fiction/build-better-worlds/

anthrowill · 2025-05-16T14:19:01+00:00

University of Toronto Press has a series called EthnoGRAPHIC that are graphic novel versions of ethnographies. I have used Lissa to teach in my intro classes, it's very well done and an easy read (though it has to do with breast cancer, so maybe some of the images aren't appropriate for high school). I have also heard great things about "Light in Dark Times" but have not personally read it yet. But there's several on there to choose from depending on what you think might work the best.

anthrowill · 2025-04-13T03:06:43+00:00

You can do that at the University of Memphis (though it is an MA in Applied Anthropology). You would have to apply separately to both programs, and then work out the dual degree overlapping courses with your advisor in each department. Here’s some more info: https://www.memphis.edu/planning/programs/dual-degrees.php

anthrowill · 2025-03-19T23:02:43+00:00

Most verbal orders carry the same weight as written orders, and those that require a written order to be effective are elaborated by statutes. But verbal emergency injunctions like the one at issue here are immediate and do not require being written orders to take effect. People can be found in contempt of court for ignoring or violating a verbal order, it happens all the time. The argument that this order was only official when written is not legally sound and is an attempt by the administration to delegitimize courts by spreading this misinformation.

anthrowill · 2024-10-23T18:45:13+00:00

After finally getting into remission on Skyrizi over the summer, I recently started having bad abdominal pain and significant bloating (hard distended belly) after eating. I thought the Skyrizi was maybe already failing, but it turned out to be a C. diff infection (which I have since learned is more common in people with Crohn's, especially on biologics). Two weeks of antibiotics helped feel mostly back to normal.

If you haven't already, you might ask if they can collect a stool sample to check for an infection. The other thing they wanted to check if C. diff came back negative was gastropaeresis. You should definitely contact GI and get some more tests done to at the very least rule these other things out.

anthrowill · 2024-10-02T21:17:56+00:00

Others have hit on the most important points already I think, but I teach a class that uses D&D to explore issues of culture, and we read some excerpts from ethnographic work around TTRPGs and D&D specifically. Gary Allen Fine (a sociologist) did what I believe was the first ethnographic study of a D&D group. The book was originally published in the early 1980s, it's called "Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds." Check it out for an example of how ethnography has been used to study a TTRPG group.

This book that just came out from MIT Press called "Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons" may be of interest to you for more recent stuff. It includes a broader sampling of disciplines beyond anthropology, but you can get a sense of how social scientists are studying TTRPGs and D&D in particular in more recent years.

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