What are some of the ethical issues involved in fieldwork among peoples who have had little contact with outsiders? Is it always in the best interest to bring these people into the 'modern ' era? Why or why not?
There are several ethical issues that may be encountered when conducting fieldwork among people who have been primarily isolated from other cultures.Anthropologists must ensure that they do no harm to the people they are studying. In theory, this means that all precautions should be taken to eliminate any actions or methods that may result in physical, emotional, psychological, or cultural damage. Of course, this is easier said than done since the mere presence of a researcher alters the reality as well as the conduct of those being observed. Outsiders also bring with them the technology and cultural nuances of the modern world which can have profound and exponential effects on the future culture of the natives. Instances of first contact between outsiders and indigenous groups often result in sweeping epidemics that decimate large portions of populations. For example, the Yanomami, who had no immunity to many diseases, were afflicted with measles by the very missionaries who sought to save their souls, and exposed to malaria, tuberculosis, and the flu by invading gold
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Blinded by greed, gold miners forcibly infringed on the lands of the Yanomami, gouging and poisoning the soil and water. The Yanomami are animists and believe everything has a spirit or hekura, even the rocks. The destruction of their world was like a slow death. The miners sped up this process by murdering any Yanomami that interfered or by flattening villages that blocked progress. Roads were constructed that severed social and political connections between villages, disrupting trade, relationships, and dispute
...nformation they sought and conduct their fieldwork effectively. Because they made the effort to associate with the people in the community, they were able to gain their trust, and a result acquired a better understanding and first-hand experience that strengthened their anthropological writing.
Journalist John G. Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks is one of the most famous texts on the Sioux culture. However, when considering journalism and anthropology, one may realize that Neihardt’s work was much more journalistic than anthropological. When studying culture, an anthropologist would do it holistically. Rather than only looking at individual components of culture, anthropologists must consider every piece of a society to fully understand it. Additionally, an anthropologist would use the ethnographic method. This technique is conducted through fieldwork and requires a person to become immersed into the culture as an active participant. To effectively learn about a new culture, the person must have an open mind by setting aside all of their
... nature of the Native American societies—many Native American communities are not open to outsiders.
Abortion has been a political, social, and personal topic for many years now. The woman’s right to choose has become a law that is still debated, argued and fought over, even though it has been passed. This paper will examine a specific example where abortion is encouraged, identify the Christian world views beliefs and resolution as well as the consequences of such, and compare them with another option.
I have decided to discuss the topic of Spirituality in Native Americans. To address this topic, I will first discuss what knowledge I have gained about Native Americans. Then I will discuss how this knowledge will inform my practice with Native Americans. To conclude, I will talk about ethical issues, and dilemmas that a Social Worker might face working with Native American people.
Anthropological researchers have considerable moral and ethical standards by which their work must be conducted in order to preserve the accuracy and the posterity of the information gathered during the study and also to the persons or cultures of which they study. These two important parts of anthropology – the research and those being researched – can be conflicting. The Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association presents itself as a body of guidelines for discussing these ethical and moral conflicts. This allows for researchers in the field of anthropology to have a foundation for understanding what decisions must be made regarding these ethical and moral conflicts and to whom the disclosures of those decisions should be made.
In this day of globalization and social media, this has meant that these Native groups are reaching out to the world for support and to educate our political leaders and the populace about environmental concerns. This has resulted in a better understanding of Native spirituality. Groups such as the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers (http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/), Idle No More (http://www.idlenomore.ca/), The Nibi Walk project (nibiwalk.org), The First Peoples Worldwide (http://firstpeoples.org/wp/), and numerous other groups have been created to promote environmental projects, sway political processes, and share the beliefs about why these things are important to Native
...ion, to help their subject as with Chagnon and Kaobawä; this could be something as minimal as offering a ride to providing financial rewards for their help. However, this may raise the ethical question of involving oneself in a situation and its effect on the study. Moreover, as demonstrated by Sterk, engaging the subject in a two-way dialogue – as opposed to a formal, questionnaire-based conversation – usually proves beneficial for the study because it lets the subject feel like they have something substantial to offer, like an opinion that is valued. Another aspect that I found intriguing in Sterk’s case is removing oneself from the field; an anthropologist must be able to find a balance to not let emotional baggage of a case interfere with their own life but keeping a specific part of it to emotionally engage with the subject during the process of the research.
...are extremely spiritual and hold customs and traditions very close to them. We need some knowledge of these customs in order to properly care for them. These deeply imbedded beliefs were taken away from them by the American Government and I believe it is especially important to keep that in mind when caring for the Native American People.
As a part of the National Association of Social Workers, social workers may face different kinds of ethical dilemmas in their scope of practice. The code of ethics is put in place so that these professionals may be able to act wisely and make the most suitable and appropriate decisions thereby positively benefitting the client likewise themselves. An ethical dilemma is a conflict between two or more ethical principles. These ethical principles aim to provide beneficense, least harm, respect for autonomy, and provide justice. I will discuss three ethical dilemmas affecting human rights in social work.
Schultz, Emily A. & Lavenda, Robert H. 2005, Cultural Anthropology, 6th edn, Oxford University Press, New York, Chapter 3: Fieldwork.
Embarking on a journey of anthropological fieldwork will undoubtedly include a plethora of setbacks. At its foundation, fieldwork requires developing rapport with the native people in order to gain access of genuine knowledge pertaining to the specific culture being studied. Subsequently, social communication between the researcher and the native people is a key component to the entire process; yet simultaneously it is a root of the many problems a researcher can encounter while in the field. It is no secret that the cultural background of the researcher can often highly contrast the culture he or she enters during fieldwork. This initial cultural adaptation one must undergo while doing anthropological fieldwork is what many in the realm describe as culture shock.
Kedia, Satish, and Willigen J. Van (2005). Applied Anthropology: Domains of Application. Westport, Conn: Praeger. pp. 16, 150.
The term “ethics” refers to an external set of rules that have been established by an institution or organization, for example, a university, and the members are expected to follow them. On the other hand, integrity refers to an individuals’ internal set of principles that guides their actions and behavior (Czimbal and Brooks n.p.). As a rule, people are usually rewarded when they follow ethical codes of conduct by an external committee or board that monitors their behavior. For a person of high integrity, the benefits are usually intrinsic. Moreover, such individuals always make the right decisions even when they are not being watched. Therefore, this feature of character is often influenced by a person’s upbringing. In
The American Anthropological Association 's (AAA) aim is to offer guidelines and promote education and discussion. American anthropologists do this often by speaking and interacting with individuals living and experiencing the culture. Truly understanding, learning, and becoming accustomed to a new cultural environment takes a significantly long period of time, perhaps even years of exposure to the culture in order to truly understand traditions, morals, and customs. For instance in the Shostak`s study on the !Kung people, it was important for the researchers to say words correctly, at appropriate times, and in a culturally accepted manner, in addition, in order to interview individuals, specifically women, the anthropologist would ask one to “enter work” with her and they would talk for an hour or a day, or over a long period of time, perhaps two weeks. When studying another culture, American anthropologists include host country colleagues in their research planning and when requesting funding, establish true collaborative relationships, include host country colleagues in dissemination, including publication, and they also ensure that something is given back to the host. When studying other countries, the process is done carefully and thoughtfully, in order to end the study with new information on a culture and to establish new connections