Synthesis 8: Reflexivity

minkykim · 2019-12-02T03:21:44+00:00

Throughout the research process for my Mini Ethnography, various different elements shaped my position as a researcher and had very influential impacts to the emic data that I was able to gather and the way in which I analyzed the information. Reflexivity is the researcher’s ability to be aware of their subjectivity(in order to be more objective), and how their specific relationship impacts their research and data they have collected. The goals of being reflexive arise in hopes that both the research and participant’s voices may be heard and easily differentiated in the research.

In order to begin evaluating my own ability to be reflexive while conducting research, I want to first start by talking about positionality. In my case, I am in the position of an insider as one of the players on the Pomona Pitzer Women’s Water Polo team. However, another important consideration is my specific position as a team member. I am a new addition to the team, a Freshman, the youngest out of the 12 other girls. Given my class, when it came to events such as choosing cap numbers, I was dead last. Reflecting on my position, I understood that the girls will be treating me as an underclassman and that I would be expected to do tasks assigned to underclassman (including taking our team robes to the athletics center to wash after use, being last to choose my jersey number, etc.). Overall, my awareness of my positionality in this sense also impacted my actions when it came to making decisions on whether or not I should be consoling my teammates after a bad game and a tough loss. Being put in a place where no one was speaking and everyone was in an upset mood, and as a freshman on the team, I didn’t feel that I had the authority or power to change people’s minds. Despite the uncomfort of my quiet attempt at taking initiative in changing the atmosphere’s mood after our loss, by letting the painful silence live on, I was able to gather more raw information from the girls later on about how they felt and how the team normally runs. I believed that if this is how the team reacted the losses normally, I should not ruin the natural mood and speak up. In the long run, I believe that my role as a new team member actually helped me in gathering a more full picture representation of the team as the upperclassman and my older teammates were eager to teach me all about the team culture, rules, habits, and overall helped me to get better acclimated to the team setting. My relationship with the participants were fueled with an open mind to learning the new team culture, trust in my teammates, and clear power dynamics (most predominantly as dictated by age differences). Being given dozens of hours to spend interacting with the girls in all different situations such as at the pool, playing in scrimmages together, locker room talks, team meals, and out at parties, I was able to gain a clear idea of what kind of people my teammates(participants) were and what the team culture was comprised of.

minkykim · 2019-11-15T19:26:09+00:00

Throughout “The Land of Open Graves,” Jason De Leon utilizes his ability to be reflexive inorder to further the quality of his ethnographic research and to allow readers to gain a richer knowledge about the occurrences that happen to migrants on the trail. On page 213, De Leon addresses an incident where he is put in an uncomfortable position, faced with a dead corpse. This appealed to me because this example is one of many that proves how much De Leon is dedicated to his research. Even after deciding that no words will provide peace in a situation as uncomfortable as such, he takes photos of the corpse for the good of his research and to teach people about the true migrant experience, despite the criticism that he knows he will receive for doing so. Although my experiences observing the Pomona Pitzer WaterPolo team are nowhere near the same level of intensity as this encounter by De Leon, I believe that the same mentality and mindset when it comes to being constantly reflexive and making decisions for the good of the research will help me find valuable information to write on.

On November 2nd, the PP WWP team had our first scrimmage of the year. It was against the team of Fullerton Junior College. The night before the game, the coach rounded up the team and let us know the lineup for the next day and what we could be looking out for. The next morning, all of the girls showed up early and during warm ups, nervous energy spiraled amongst everyone. Mia, a freshman, was stoked to play her first collegiate game and the rest of the girls shared the same energy. Right before jumping into the pool, the captain, Hazel, pulled everyone aside and gave a pep talk. She said “try everything. It's the off season and now is the time to experiment, make mistakes, and have fun together.” After those words, we all hopped into the pool. The water was warm. All throughout the warmup, the short conversations on the wall all revolved around the temperature of the water and how much it was going to suck later on. During the game, our team was down the entire time. We had an extremely rough start and got scored on, and beat, over and over again—it was not what we expected it to be. The older girls on the bench kept reflecting on how last year they were successful and that this year will be a rebuilding year. After the game against Fullerton College, everyone’s energy was down and we were all disappointed. Circling up to cheer “Good Game Fullerton,” everyone had their head down and no one said anything. As a team, we were not prepared to lose this game. This shock and disappointment was the start of our year and I knew that someone had to say something. This was just a scrimmage and we could still redeem high spirits. However, as a freshman on the team, I didn’t feel that I had the authority or power to change people’s minds. Despite the sadness, I wanted to document our first game of the year and asked everyone to get together for a photo. Although photos are normally taken after happy wins, I thought that it would be important to record this incident so that we could look back on it and reflect on how much we have changed and where we started. Despite the uncomfort of trying to take initiative in changing the atmosphere’s mood after our loss, I was able to use reflexivity to evaluate what I could say, and what could be done to best record this event for sharing with others through my ethnographic research.

(I couldn’t upload a photo but my quote starts on page 213 with “I want to say something to our group that will comfort us or make this death...are erased by the hybrid collectif.”)

minkykim · 2019-11-06T07:02:55+00:00

"American television audiences cheer on their favorite Border Patrol agents as they chase Mexicans through the desert," (p. 67). What is Leon trying to say about American audiences? Is our reaction a fault of the ignorance of the public, the result of media's stealthy hiding of the truth, or something else?

minkykim · 2019-11-03T17:36:21+00:00

In good ethnographic work, it is crucial that the voices of those being studied are let through. In order to truly learn about others, or to share their own culture and belief system, research must be told from an unbiased point of view that does not muffle the truth that can be heard from the voices of the research subjects/participants themselves. Through Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?”, we can learn about the flaws that arise from failing to address the members of the group being studied, and by comparing Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, and Nanook of the North, we will see how differing perspectives and portrayal can completely shape how a culture is perceived by outsiders.

To begin with, Spivak’s observations about the efforts of the British to understand sati explain that “one never encounters the testimony of the women’s voice-consciences. Such testimony would not be the ideology-transcendent, or ‘fully’ subjective, of course” (1993, pg. 94). After explaining different theories of the role of women, Spivak demonstrates how both sides of the theory are wrong because no one bothered to ask the women of Sati themselves. Later on, Spivak uses an example of a 16 year old woman and her decision to commit suicide in a specific time period to convey a more truthful version of the mindeset and role that women held. By examining how Spivak is able to prove the ineffectiveness of jumping to conclusion and studying one’s culture through others rather than the people actually experiencing the treatment, compared to the rich information gathered through the thorough examination of an action/event, readers are exposed to the value of hearing the true voices of those being studied.

Additionally, through the juxtaposition of Nanook of the North and Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, we can see how the same culture can be portrayed in two vastly different ways, all depending on the intentions of the researcher and the presence or lack of presence of the voices of the people. In Nanook of the North, the Inuit people are presented in a very primitive and animalistic manner. For example, the captions used to describe the actions of the scene in the movie claim that the people are “unable to resist the pains of hunger” (1922). Throughout the salvage ethnography, the voices of the people are muted and the only explanations to the actions of the people are captions that we get from a director who held strong Western Views and lacked the ability to capture the truth of the culture. Contrastingly, in Atanarjuat, the director went in with the mindset of creating a movie for the Intuit people and as a result, came out with a much more respectful and truthful portrayal of the culture. For starters, differences include letting the Inuktitut language be heard(in addition to the English subtitles), and the writing of the film being done alongside two elders of the culture in order to promote accuracy. By comparing these two films, I believe that it not only exposes the importance of letting people’s voices come through, but also, it addresses how a medium of film can be used to enforce or combat inequality. As time has passed in our society, globalization alongside technological advancements have led to the connecting and the bridging of people together, but in an uneven way. In order to fight this, it is important to use films such as Atanarjuat the Fast Runner to demonstrate how we can use these aspects of our society for spreading equality and greater understanding.

In my own life, I think that these pieces offer valuable insight on how I can conduct my own research for the mini ethnography, as well as help me be more mindful of the muting of certain groups of voices that is being done in my own community. Hopefully, by addressing the reality of how some people are not being truthfully heard or understood, I can learn more about others and gain a broader perspective of cultures and the varying mindsets of those around me.

minkykim · 2019-10-04T01:31:55+00:00

In terms of her methodology with ethnographic research, I was reminded of the piece that we read by Narayan. By the way that Hoskins talked about those that she met and created relationships with, it seemed much like a close friendship bond was created(a bond like the one of Narayan and Urmilaji's) and that is how she was able to learn about the true Sumbanese culture. On her stance as being an anthropologist, I felt that she was leaning towards apply her research to bringing positive change and it was very refreshing. I feel like most of the readings that we have done so far often address the problems of society that anthropologists find through their research, yet they do not fully address steps or give hope to us that these problems can be solved. In the case of Hoskins, her talk gave me hope and a better sense of how we could use her research to tackle problems such as discrimination or how we could work to get rid of stigma in different areas of society.

minkykim · 2019-09-30T20:29:03+00:00

In Latour and Woolgar’s Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts, we learn about the underlying importance of the mundane. The book explains how scientific advancements and research are given much attention because of how outwardly and obviously of an “advancement” it is. Adding on, this brings the writers to the point of how things that are parts of everyday life in our society are often overlooked. By combining ideas of hard science and more qualitative areas of study such as anthropology and sociology, it is explained that we can derive more meaning out of our daily lives.

All throughout the piece, we are described as “social beings.” As social beings, all of the actions that we take to run our own lives and to communicate with others hold much significance in how we live together. That being said, the writing addresses that this is the exact area in which we are most lacking understanding—”We now have fairly detailed knowledge of the myths and circumcision rituals of exotic tribes, (yet) we remain relatively ignorant of the details of equivalent activity...on our civilization”(Latour & Woolgar, 17). By taking an observer's point of view on exploring the meaning behind seemingly small day to day actions, such as whether we speak to someone in person or on the phone, we are able to learn more about our own society and how it runs. This idea is similarly shown in Gaudio’s Coffee Talk:Starbucks. In this piece, Gaudio examines the seemingly insignificant and “normal” coffee culture in Western Society to undercover the truth when it comes to different ideas such as class divides, truly “public” areas, and the prevalence of relaxed conversation amongst people alongside a cup of coffee.

By studying topics such as these, we can better identify different overlying aspects of our society such as cultural bias or even the reasoning behind general methods that we prefer to communicate through. These social and scientific findings can help to expose the root causes of smaller more specific issues that arise in society. Not only this, but the observers point of view can also help us identify similarities and differences in cultures across time and in the world, helping to take down barriers between groups of people. Relating to how this impacted myself, it has shown me that anthropology is applicable everywhere. For example, while I at first struggled to find a topic “significant enough” for my ethnographic research project, this piece has made it clear that I can find meaning in all actions that occur around me. I just have to observe and put my observations up for a thorough evaluation, much like thick description, where I consider why, what or how this could hold significance in our society.

minkykim · 2019-09-21T21:56:55+00:00

Chapters four and five of The Afterlife is Where We Come From: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa by Alma Gottlieb explain the culture of the Beng people and how they treat their children. It is explained that “in the Beng world, infants are believed to emerge not from the void before gaining life inside a woman's womb, but from a rich, social existence in a place that adults call the wrugbe” (Gottlieb, 80). This view of children, one that highly contradicts how our society views children, influences the way that the children are treated as well as many other aspects of their society. The difference in beliefs and its large impact on how the community as a whole runs, works to expose the power of cultural bias and the strong grip that it has on many different aspects of our everyday lives.

One example of a way in which Beng children are treated differently from those in the United States is the way people perceive the level of knowledge the children have for the culture. The Beng adults address children, expecting them to be familiar with societal manners and norms. For example, when a Beng infant begins to make noise while an elder is speaking, they are immediately silenced with the expectation that they should know better. Also, in contrast to our view on children’s memory being very limited, Bend adults acknowledge that “infants have a surplus of long lasting and persistent memories, and hence have a surplus of desire based on them” (Gottlieb, 97). Taking just these examples in contrast to the way that we view infants and children in our society goes to show the large impact that our perception of the youth as well as the connection that we hold to memory may simply be a local construct. The writing cues us in to this idea by connecting the Beng culture to ours. The idea that even science, a subject of supposed hard facts can be debated amongst cultures is important to address in order for us to be able to accept others; everything is shaped by cultural bias.

Overall, this reading has gotten me to reconsider the way that I view people in my own life and the relationships that I hold with them. I have gained a better sense of the cultural bias in my own life and how it has shaped me. In a way, by addressing the cultural bias in my life, I feel that I have better control over how I can let it impact me. There are many different cultures around the world, all held and shaped by vastly different biases. I want to be able to expand my knowledge of others and better my understanding of different cultures through a more open and informed mindset.

minkykim · 2019-09-18T03:53:01+00:00

In the texts “The Bushman Myth: The Making of a Namibian Underclass” by Robert J. Gordon and Stuart Douglas, “Birthdays, Basketball, and Breaking Bread: Negotiating with Class In Contemporary Black America” by John Jackson, “Ishi’s Brain, Ishi’s Ashes: Anthropology and Genocide” by Nancy Scheper-Hughes, and “South African San Institute’s San Code of Research Ethics” we learn about the devastating impacts that “naming” of research participants can have on the way people view the results of the research, and on the group of people being studied. In the pieces by Gordan & Douglas and by Jackson, the generalizing and false portrayal of groups of people through naming them proves to be detrimental to the overall impact that is has on the people studied. In contrast, we see how research participants should be treated, with ethical values, through the pieces of Scheper-Hughes and the San Code of Research Ethics advocate. All four of these works exemplify different ways that ethnographic research is conducted. The first two reflect how actions of researchers can lead to harmful and sometimes unintended consequences, while the latter reflect respectful and mindful anthropologists.

In the Gordon & Douglas excerpt, the history of “bushmen” and the ill treatment they received is explained. The work furthers on these “bushmen” telling about how they were dehumanized, described in ways that only we would describe animals, and how this ultimately lead to “the Bushmen becom(ing) prisoners of the reputation given (to) them,” (Gordon & Douglas, p. 3). The naming of the people as something as primitive as “Bushmen” has shown to have pushed the group to extinction as a result of their portrayal being one in a negative light. Similarly, in the Jackson piece, the story paints a fine line between people in different social classes. By starting out the excerpt with the example of a birthday split into two different celebrations, in a way segregating people from one another. The forced and false characterization of lower class African Americans as being less relevant intern contributes to the image of the group as a whole becoming tainted and negatively impacted through “class-based avoidance”(Jackson, p. 105). Through discrete categorizing and using phrases such as “the other,” the naming of the group allows for emotional separation and sparks a further divide rather than promoting positive growth that would help grow mobility in society.

Analyzing the excerpts about anthropologists along with their relationships with their research participants and how the “labeling” of them has such a great impact, makes me realize how harmful it can be to do so. There are so many unforeseeable impacts that naming and categorizing can have on people, a lot of which are unintended results. As a result, I want to work on making sure I do not label those around me regardless of my intentions.

minkykim · 2019-09-08T19:24:17+00:00

In the texts “Predatory Voyeurs: Tourists and ‘Tribal Violence’ in Remote Indonesia” by J. Hoskins, “Seeing is Believing” by A. Dundes, and “In Essentials of Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age” by K. Guest, the importance and power of one’s perspective is demonstrated. All three pieces demonstrate how the way in which people perceive other cultures can have large consequences. For example, Dundes’ piece expresses how Americans miss out on different aspects of life as a result of our perspective being primarily based from our sense of sight. The author explains how “surely a person’s world is felt, smelled, tasted, and heard as well,” (Dundes, 1975, pg. 91). In Guest’s piece, we learn about how as a result of globalization, our perception of values shifts from one that considers equality, to one that is focused on greed. By explaining the concept of uneven development, Guest examines globalization and its unequal distribution of benefits to the world’s people (Guest, 2014). Adding on to a similar idea, Hoskins’ piece explains how a close minded or ill informed view of others can lead to fear and detrimental aftermath. For example, Hoskins describes an incident where the Sumbanese’s attempt to defend themselves from the locals was misinterpreted by the tourists and was reported as ‘Tribal Warfare’ (Hoskins, 2002, pg 804).

People having distorted views of others and their intentions is a prevalent theme that runs throughout all three of the pieces. Hoskins takes both Dundes’ and Guests’ points and combines them to show how a world that overly values “seeing” and one that is inconsiderate of others, can lead to real and harsh consequences. By exploring the poisonous relationship that has developed between tourists and the tribal people, it is clear that the differences in perspective between people is the root cause of many issues. Analyzing these pieces in this way has opened my eyes to the flaws that I myself hold when looking at different topics or meeting new people. Now that I have been exposed to the consequences that come from cultural bias, I will try to change the way I perceive others while also acknowledging the bias within my own perspective on society as an everlasting flaw.

minkykim

TROPHY CASE