ANTH 2020 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology:
Fieldwork Exercise 2: Economies, Mobilities, Identities and
Communities
Introduction and Purpose:
One of the contributions of economic and political anthropology is that they allow us to
trace how larger cultural forces materialize into the lived experience of individuals and
groups, and how these change through time. Mobility and human flows are central features
of the contemporary world, shifting people and communities within and across national
borders. They also inspired the shared focus of the inaugural Cours Pairings initiative. The
purpose of this exercise is to explore mobility and migration ethnographically.
Our shared reading, Iliana Yamileth Rodriguez’s Los Autobuses del Sur: Mexican Migrant
Routes and Economies, outlines the growth of Atlanta’s ethic Mexican, and more broadly
Latinx communities since the 1970s. The article frames migration within larger economic
and political changes but highlights the significance of family connections, personal ties
and broader social networks and processes, including migrant economies industries like
transportation, in giving it form. But it also draws attention to the significance of people and
their stories: What does it mean to be part of these communities? How may the
experiences of individuals and families vary or change through time? How did (and do)
people understand their identities and navigate their relationships and everyday worlds?
What motivations, problems, opportunities or affordances do they encounter?
The Exercise:
Your task is to use ethnographic tools to learn and convey something about how people
experience and conceptualize their lives, identities and local communities as they are
shaped by the dynamics of human flows: immigration, cultural heritage from elsewhere
and/or by practices of movement and social exchange across borders and space.
You are encouraged to focus on the experience of Mexican or Latinx immigrants, or people
of Mexican or Latinx heritage and their communities in Atlanta. However, you may consider
any immigrant or ethnic community, or investigate the experience of internal migration,
which does not cross national borders. Use Yamileth Rogriguez’s piece to guide your
questions.Methods and Ethics:
You have a choice of two data collection methods.
a) Participant Observation: Spend some time in a public space, engage in a volunteer
opportunity, participate in a ritual etc. paying attention to how people make it a
place for the community? In other words, how is a place, event or gathering made
into a distinctly cultural space for a group? Consider people but also sights, sounds,
material culture, spatial arrangements and so on.
Ethics issue: Be sure those you engage know you are doing fieldwork and consent to
it. NO COVERT WORK.
b) Ethnographic interview: Interview someone about their experiences, ideas,
opinions, and perspectives. This can be about collecting a first-person
account/personal history of migration, considering motivations (personal,
economic, or other), processes, and practical aspects, including social networks
and connections, infrastructure etc. But it can also mean discussing a person’s
experience as part of an immigrant community, how they understand and navigate
their national and ethnic or cultural identities, the particular problems and realities
of their communities in Atlanta today, and so on.
Ethics Issue: Make sure to CLEARLY EXPLAIN who you are, why you are doing this,
and how you will use the material, and get active CONSENT. Clearly explain that
whatever they want to tell you is TOTALLY UP TP THEM (voluntary participation) and
that you will keep their identities CONFIDENTIAL. Identify persons and places with a
PSEUDONYM (made up name) in your narrative. AVOID any collection or discussion
of information regarding legal and documentation matters connected to any living
individuals, whether your interlocutor or another. Strictly no children.
The Product:
You have an Essay and an Un-Essay option for this project. Both are submitted in the
corresponding folder in iCollege. Go to Assessments → Assignments
A) The Essay option is an ethnographic narrative paper like that of Fieldwork Exercise
1: 3-4 page double-spaced paper (standard fonts and margins), which includes your
specific question/topic, methodology, findings and brief reflection. As this project is
based on your own, original research, you do not need to use outside sources.However, if you do, you must include a bibliography and use in-text citations as
needed. Any citation style is fine, as long as used correctly, but if you do not have a
preference, use AAA style: https://americananthro.org/publications/publishing-
style-guide/
B) The Un-Essay option allows you to communicate your findings in alternative ways. It
can be in the form of ANYTHING you want, including but not limited to:
• A photo essay, video/music video, TikTok
• An object or recipe telling a story
• An infographic, flow chart, slide show, clickbait-type article or quiz
• A song, poem or play script
• A piece of art, sculpture, painting, collage, drawing, illustration, cartoon or
graphic story
• A quilt, knitting project, pottery, embroidery, or other craft
• A board game, card game, trivia night questions
This should be accompanied by a project statement and reflection: The statement
is your “explanation’” of the project. It should address a) what you did and why
(topic, method, fieldwork process), b) what are the core ideas and understandings
you want people to take from it, c) what you learned doing it. As a general guideline,
the project statement should be 1-2 double-spaced pages, though variation is to be
expected depending on the project.
If you use published sources, you should also include a bibliography in your
statement. Any citation style is fine, as long as used correctly, but if you do not have
a distinctive preference, use AAA style:
AI;DR
As you are completing this exercise, please remember to
1. 2. SAVE A DRAFT OR TWO, notes, or whatever else can show that this is your work
Check your AI probability score on Turnitin when you submit. You want it to be
no more than 35%. If it is higher, you will be asked to revise and resubmit unless
you can provide proof that this is your work, or offer another convincing
explanation
