Fieldwork seminar: Fieldwork in the Humanities - May 27 2014

Fieldwork in the Humanities

– a series of PhD seminars at ToRS

Today’s theme: Ambivalent participation

Presentation by Margit Petersen “Going to the Doctor with Enchantment in Mind- Reflections on the anthropology of moralities and the moralities of anthropology”

Based on ethnographic fieldwork among university students in New York City, my paper focuses on the moral landscape that students navigate through in their quest for and use of what is called study drugs or prescription stimulants for enhancement. It is apparent in my empirical material that when researching moralities and perhaps specifically moral dilemmas, the researcher becomes confronted with her own moral views. Though the study of morality does not in itself have a moralizing agenda the ethnographer must clearly evaluate how her own moralities play out in the relation between researcher and research subject.

Going to the Doctor with Enhancement in Mind

- Reflections on the anthropology of moralities and the moralities of anthropology
Getting the drugs on prescription from a doctor – with made-up or exaggerated symptoms – is not illegal, and the students do not see it as misuse or abuse. Rather they speak of it as legitimate and safe drug use, with approval from a doctor (even though the doctor has been misinformed) and for a good and valuable purpose (for studying concentrated and not for partying or other recreational purposes). In other words, this paper sees the acquisition and use of study drugs as a decision made on the basis of (sometimes conflicting) moral values. What from medical records and a doctor’s point of view is off-label treatment, is from the perspective of the students drug use for enhancement.
In my presentation I shall focus on the importance of the drug users’ experience and evaluation of their own drug use as I discuss some of the complications of doing this kind of research and the ambivalences I experienced in the field method labelled “participation”.

Agenda of this field work seminar:

  • Welcome by Professor Catharina Raudvere
  • Short introduction to today’s theme by Professor Esther Fihl
  • Presentation of paper by PhD student Margit Petersen
  • General discussion of the theme of ambivalent participation in relation to other fieldwork based projects

To read:

  • Margit Petersen’s draft article
  • Christian Groes-Green: “Ambivalent Participation: Sex, Power, and the Anthropologist in Mozambique”, Medical Anthropology, 2012, 31: 44–60.

The texts will be circulated 10 days before the semiar.

This seminar is part of: "Fieldwork in the Humanities"

The seminars will focus on the design and planning of fieldwork, and we will also bring up the issue whether there are special characteristics for fieldwork in the humanities.

ECTS: 1,8 for paper presentation and 0,3 for active participation.

Fieldwork is at the core of many of the PhD projects at ToRS and a productive period ’in the field’ is crucial for a successful thesis. The time allowed for fieldwork is, however, limited and it is therefore of importance to have an opportunity to discuss plans and alternatives, to be able to share experiences after coming back from fieldwork and to have response on drafts of analysis when the thesis text is about to take shape.

A series of regular PhD seminars are offered at ToRS on the uses of fieldwork in the humanities. During the seminars there will be an opportunity to present texts (plans, reports, drafts of analysis), discuss and scrutinize various methods for fieldwork – and report experiences as well as discuss theoretical reflections on fieldwork as a method. Fieldwork can be conducted in a number of ways and from very different analytical perspectives; many of them at work in various ToRS projects. The purpose of the seminars is not to streamline your projects, but to open up a forum for discussions about how to plan a fieldwork and still be flexible, choices of documentation, follow-up and where to draw the line. In short: share and learn from others; from tentative research questions to submission of a thesis based on fieldwork.

Some of the issues that will be discussed during the seminars:

  • designing a fieldwork plan and preparing for surprises and change of plans
  • the relation between research questions and choice of field method
  • documentation: technique, ethics and archiving
  • follow-up and processual analysis
  • combining fieldwork material(s) with other sources
  • combining fieldwork material(s) with historical studies
  • literature on fieldwork

It is strongly recommended that those of you who use fieldwork material in your thesis continuously take active part in these seminars. The seminars are intended to be a platform for discussions for every stage of fieldwork and for fieldwork in the broadest understanding of the concept. Archaeological, archival, literary and political angles are more than welcome.

Each seminar has a theme and literature (ca 50 pages) will be circulated beforehand as a preparation for the discussions. At each seminar will also one, or more PhD, candidate(s) present a piece from her/his on-going work.

The seminars are chaired by Professor Catharina Raudvere and Professor Esther Fihl.