Chloe Johnson: While reading this article by Goffman, I could not help but consider the factors taken into account when performing "fieldwork" as Goffman describes it. Goffman states "The standard technique is to try to subject yourself, hopefully, to their life circumstances, which means that although, in fact, you can leave at any time, you act as if you can't and you try to accept all the desirable and undesirable things that are a feature of their life." Though I feel this makes sense in terms of becoming one of the group you are trying to discover. However, I wonder if one can ever truly feel as a member if they know subconsciously they are not? In other words, though one is to act and react as one of the group in question, will they ever get the true effect unless they are completely committed? I feel this is why Goffman speaks so much on the topic of becoming "one with the group in study" however, I cannot help but wonder how truly effective it is. Chloe Johnson
Chloe, It is certainly difficult for us on our site visitations to integrate ourselves fully at the sites we visit. As a concept, though, Goffman's take on participant observation is valuable. The more we know going into a new situation, and the more we interact with the elements of that situation, the more information we will gather. You can apply ethnographic concepts in other types of research, such as marketing; check out the Food Trends blog: http://landis.foodtrends.com/Food-Trends-Blog/?Tag=ethnography. --Brent W.
I enjoyed reading Goffman’s work. It has a lot of truth. Whether his words are used for good reasons or not he rises some good points. One idea Goffman brings up is the fact that to really understand the atmosphere you’re in, you have to be it. To do this he tells the class that they need to cut everything in their life out: “ one problem of going in with a spouse… it does give you a way out” ( 127), Goffman is stating that to truly cause infantry in the environment, we need to rely on the persons in the group or atmosphere. By doing this we are forcing ourselves to understand why they do what they do or think the way they think. He further states that “…the way to get it [information they need as observers in the field] is to need it. And the only way to need it is to not have anything of your own. So you should be in a position to cut yourself to the bone.” I agree with my classmate when they say it is different from student like us on our Food Wine and Agriculture tour, because these people: the tour guide and staff and farmers know our prime goal. And I feel that we are judging. Goffman says that “If they don’t find out what you’re doing, the story you present doesn’t get in your way.” I believe that these people as we will approach them are going to be hard, probably not give away any information that can truly benefit us. But than vice verses we specifically as culinary students think we now everything, and are not willing to accept people’s other view, and mean of survival.
On Field Work By Erving Goffman Quote “You’re artificially forcing yourself to be tuned into something that you then pick up as a witness- not as an interviewer, not as a listener, but as a witness to how they react to what gets done around them.” I think it is so true what he is saying here, that the best way to observe is to become. People are extremely different when they feel comfortable and in their own environment and I think that is when you can learn the most about them. An outsider always changes the atmosphere, but to be accepted and welcomed into what you are observing means that you can find the truth not just the outwardly appearance. Samantha H.
Chloe Johnson:
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article by Goffman, I could not help but consider the factors taken into account when performing "fieldwork" as Goffman describes it. Goffman states "The standard technique is to try to subject yourself, hopefully, to their life circumstances, which means that although, in fact, you can leave at any time, you act as if you can't and you try to accept all the desirable and undesirable things that are a feature of their life." Though I feel this makes sense in terms of becoming one of the group you are trying to discover. However, I wonder if one can ever truly feel as a member if they know subconsciously they are not? In other words, though one is to act and react as one of the group in question, will they ever get the true effect unless they are completely committed? I feel this is why Goffman speaks so much on the topic of becoming "one with the group in study" however, I cannot help but wonder how truly effective it is.
Chloe Johnson
Chloe,
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly difficult for us on our site visitations to integrate ourselves fully at the sites we visit. As a concept, though, Goffman's take on participant observation is valuable. The more we know going into a new situation, and the more we interact with the elements of that situation, the more information we will gather. You can apply ethnographic concepts in other types of research, such as marketing; check out the Food Trends blog:
http://landis.foodtrends.com/Food-Trends-Blog/?Tag=ethnography.
--Brent W.
I enjoyed reading Goffman’s work. It has a lot of truth. Whether his words are used for good reasons or not he rises some good points. One idea Goffman brings up is the fact that to really understand the atmosphere you’re in, you have to be it. To do this he tells the class that they need to cut everything in their life out: “ one problem of going in with a spouse… it does give you a way out” ( 127), Goffman is stating that to truly cause infantry in the environment, we need to rely on the persons in the group or atmosphere. By doing this we are forcing ourselves to understand why they do what they do or think the way they think. He further states that “…the way to get it [information they need as observers in the field] is to need it. And the only way to need it is to not have anything of your own. So you should be in a position to cut yourself to the bone.”
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmate when they say it is different from student like us on our Food Wine and Agriculture tour, because these people: the tour guide and staff and farmers know our prime goal. And I feel that we are judging. Goffman says that “If they don’t find out what you’re doing, the story you present doesn’t get in your way.” I believe that these people as we will approach them are going to be hard, probably not give away any information that can truly benefit us. But than vice verses we specifically as culinary students think we now everything, and are not willing to accept people’s other view, and mean of survival.
On Field Work
ReplyDeleteBy Erving Goffman
Quote “You’re artificially forcing yourself to be tuned into something that you then pick up as a witness- not as an interviewer, not as a listener, but as a witness to how they react to what gets done around them.”
I think it is so true what he is saying here, that the best way to observe is to become. People are extremely different when they feel comfortable and in their own environment and I think that is when you can learn the most about them. An outsider always changes the atmosphere, but to be accepted and welcomed into what you are observing means that you can find the truth not just the outwardly appearance.
Samantha H.