The Art of Fieldwork

by Harry F. Wolcott

In this long-anticipated second edition of The Art of Fieldwork, prominent anthropologist Harry F. Wolcott updates his original groundbreaking text, which both challenges and petitions anthropology and its practitioners to draw not only on the traditional precepts of science, but also on the richness of artistry in the collection, interpretation, and expression of fieldwork data. Each of the original chapters have been thoughtfully revised to reflect the past nine years of anthropological development. Combined with a new final chapter, this refreshing text makes an exciting reentry into the ongoing debate of the processes, challenges, and rewards of fieldwork methodology. Researchers in qualitative methods and field methods_and fieldworkers across disciplines_will find this well-crafted, approachable book a thought-provoking read.

Genres: Anthropology, Ethnography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 1995

About the author

Harry F. Wolcott taught at the University of Oregon, serving on both the faculties of education and anthropology. He authored several ethnographic texts that included his experiences among the Kwakiutl Indians of British Columbia and with the African Beer Gardens of Bulawayo, Rhodesia, as well on ethnographic method and on writing itself, with a focus on qualitative research.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this when I was writing my thesis in college. I never thought I would look at it again, but now that I have work that involves actual fieldwork, I find it weirdly reassuring. I've pulled it off the bookshelf at least once a year since college (more often than many of my anthropology books) and have re-read certain parts of it ("The Basic Arts" and "The Dark Arts") when I've been at a loss with my own work. It feels like good, solid advice and a friendly rub on your back all at the same time. A good one for the shelf.