Anthropological research methods

Video Description

In this lecture on anthropological research methods, Dr. Michael Paolisso presents an overview of the perspectives taken by researchers, and the approaches used to gather and interpret information. He notes that holism and cultural relativism are important starting points for anthropological research, and that research focuses on people, structures and social processes. He describes the anthropological research process as being empirical, multi-sited, and grounded in fieldwork and ethnography. He highlights the large toolkit of qualitative and quantitative methods for data gathering and analysis, and the range of outcomes, including case studies, comparisons and participatory and collaborative research. He ends by emphasizing that anthropological research methods are people-centered accounts of people and their contexts, which are used to evaluate and refine theoretical understandings of human societies. More information on the Immersion Program and other lectures can be found here: http://www.sesync.org/for-you/educator/programs/immersion.