Syllabus: Paper I > 5. Religion > Anthropological approaches to the study of religion
Evolution of the Fieldwork Tradition in Anthropology — 2016 Paper I
Question · 2016 · Paper I · 15 Marks
Describe the evolution of fieldwork tradition in Anthropology.
Model Answer
VAID ICSApproach
- Demand: Trace the shift from theoretical speculation to immersion and reflexivity.
- Structure: Armchair origins -> Expeditions (Rivers) -> Intensive Participant Observation (Malinowski) -> Processual/Interpretive -> Reflexive/Multi-sited.
- Key points: Boas/Rivers; Trobriand fieldwork; Writing Culture; Multi-sited ethnography.
Introduction The evolution of fieldwork represents the transition of anthropology from an "armchair" discipline—relying on secondary colonial reports—to an empirically rigorous social science founded on long-term, intensive, and reflexive immersion.
Body
- The Early Phase (Armchair to Expeditions): 19th-century evolutionists (Tylor/Frazer) synthesized reports from travelers. The Torres Strait Expedition (1898) marked the shift to systematic, professionalized inquiry by natural scientists and anthropologists like W.H.R. Rivers.
- The Malinowskian Revolution: Bronislaw Malinowski’s Trobriand fieldwork (1915–18) established the "gold standard" of Participant Observation. He emphasized living among the people, learning the vernacular, and capturing the imponderabilia of daily life.
- Post-War and Interpretive Shifts: The "Manchester School" introduced processual analysis (studying conflict over time), while Clifford Geertz introduced "thick description," arguing that ethnography is an interpretive act, not a purely objective recording.
- Contemporary Reflexivity: The 1980s Writing Culture critique challenged the "ethnographic authority" of the researcher. This led to Multi-sited ethnography (Marcus, 1995), where researchers follow people, commodities, or media across globalized spaces.
Conclusion The fieldwork tradition has moved from a quest for "objective" discovery to an acknowledgment of the researcher’s subjectivity and the collaborative nature of field knowledge. Despite these changes, the core methodology—prolonged immersion and the commitment to understanding the "native point of view"—remains the enduring hallmark of the discipline.
Want feedback on your answer?
Join the Anthropology workshop or get structured answer-writing guidance from VAID ICS.
UPSC Anthropology Optional 2016 — Paper I
28 questionsSyllabus: Paper I > 12. Applications of Anthropology > Anthropology in designing of defence and other equipments
Syllabus: Paper I > 6. Anthropological Theories > Structuralism > Levi-Strauss
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.4 Human Evolution and emergence of Man > Biological and cultural factors in human evolution
1(b) Cultural Relativism
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 2.1 The Nature of Culture > Ethnocentrism vis-a-vis Cultural Relativism
Syllabus: Paper I > 2.5 Kinship > Descent theory and alliance theory
1(a) Differences between Social Anthropology and Sociology
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.2 Relationships with other disciplines > Social Anthropology and Sociology
Syllabus: Paper I > 8.1 Research Methods > Fieldwork tradition in Anthropology
Syllabus: Paper I > 10. Human growth and development > Factors affecting growth and development
5(d) Fertility and Fecundity
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 11.3 Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality and mortality
5(e) Forensic Anthropology
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 12. Applications of Anthropology > Forensic Anthropology
1(e) Functionalism
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 6. Anthropological Theories > Functionalism
Syllabus: Paper I > 6. Anthropological Theories > Interpretive Anthropology > Geertz
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.7 Concepts and methods of Ecological Anthropology > Bio-cultural adaptations: genetic and non-genetic factors
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.5 Race and racism > Racial traits in relation to heredity and environment
1(c) Lineage and Clan
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 2.5 Kinship > Descent groups > Lineage and clan
7(a) Critically discuss the Mendelian principles and their application to human populations.
15 Marks
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.2 Mendelian genetics in man > Family study and inheritance
5(c) Neolithic Cultures of India
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.8(b) Cultural Evolution: broad outlines of prehistoric cultures > Neolithic
4(a) Discuss the principles governing production, distribution and exchange in simple societies.
20 Marks
Syllabus: Paper I > 3. Economic Organization > Principles governing production, distribution and exchange
5(a) Rh-Blood Group
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.6 Population variation as genetic marker > ABO and Rh blood groups
5(b) Rhodesian Man
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.6 Phylogenetic status, characteristics and distribution > Rhodesian Man
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.8(b) Cultural Evolution: broad outlines of prehistoric cultures > Chalcolithic
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.8 Epidemiological Anthropology > Infectious and non-infectious diseases
Syllabus: Paper I > 9.4(d) Genetic screening and genetic counselling
Syllabus: Paper I > 1.5 Characteristics of Primates > Skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications
Syllabus: Paper I > 4. Political Organization and Social Control > Social control in simple societies
1(d) Totemism
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 5. Religion > Forms of religion > Totemism
Syllabus: Paper I > 2.4 Family > Changing patterns of the family