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For this the fourth volume in the successful Contemporary Social Research series, Robert Burgess has provided a new resource text which will prove invaluable to those engaged in field research. The material he has chosen is drawn both from sociology and social anthropology; and the readings come from experienced researchers both in the USA and Europe. In addition, Burgess draws upon the work of historians for a special section on the use of historical materials in field research. The focus is upon the strategies, processes and problems of work in the field. Chapters by distinguished social scientists cover gaining entry, note-taking, interviewing and observing. Material on data collection is complemented by discussion of data analysis and theorising. The readings themselves are subdivided into nine sections. The first essay in each section is written by Burgess himself in order to locate the articles in a broader context and to highlight the key issues and the important questions. Burgess has also provided a review of some of the major traditions in field research and a series of brief guides to further reading on the major topics covered in each of the sections. Particular attention has been paid to the use of annotated reading lists and the preparation of a very full bibliography. Field Research: A Sourcebook and Field Manual will be an essential textbook for students of social research or field research at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. In addition, it will provide valuable guidance for workers in the social sciences engaged in research in the field.
List of contents
1 Approaches to Field Research Section One: Starting Field Research 2 Early Field Experiences 3 Procedures for Demarcating a Field of Study 4 Methodological Issues in the Study of Bureaucratic Elites: A Case Study of West Point 5 Launching a Neighbourhood Study in an African Town Section Two: Field Roles and Field Problems 6 Some Role Problems in Field Research 7 Participant Observers 8 The Participant Observer as a Human Being: Observations on the Personal Aspects of Fieldwork 9 The Making of a Female Researcher: Role Problems in Fieldwork 10 The Problem of Ethical Integrity in Participant Observation Section Three: Sampling Strategies in Field Research 11 Elements of Sampling in Field Research 12 Sampling in Ethnographic Fieldwork 13 Time Sampling as a Field Technique 14 The Key Informant Technique: A Non-Ethnographic Application Section Four: Conversations in Field Research 15 The Unstructured Interview as a Conversation 16 Interviewing in Field Research 17 The Life Study: On Mutual Recognition and the Subjective Inquiry Section Five: Historical Sources and Field Research 18 Personal Documents, Oral Sources and Life Histories 19 Local History and Oral History 20 The Study of Life History 21 Anthropology and the Discipline of Historical Context
About the author
Robert G. Burgess Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick
Summary
For this the fourth volume in the successful Contemporary Social Research series, Robert Burgess has provided a new resource text which will prove invaluable to those engaged in field research. The material he has chosen is drawn both from sociology and social anthropology; and the readings come from experienced researchers both in the USA and Europe. In addition, Burgess draws upon the work of historians for a special section on the use of historical materials in field research. The focus is upon the strategies, processes and problems of work in the field. Chapters by distinguished social scientists cover gaining entry, note-taking, interviewing and observing. Material on data collection is complemented by discussion of data analysis and theorising. The readings themselves are subdivided into nine sections. The first essay in each section is written by Burgess himself in order to locate the articles in a broader context and to highlight the key issues and the important questions. Burgess has also provided a review of some of the major traditions in field research and a series of brief guides to further reading on the major topics covered in each of the sections. Particular attention has been paid to the use of annotated reading lists and the preparation of a very full bibliography. Field Research: A Sourcebook and Field Manual will be an essential textbook for students of social research or field research at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. In addition, it will provide valuable guidance for workers in the social sciences engaged in research in the field.
Additional text
'Robert Burgess is to be congratulated on putting together such a useful collection ... the end product is, for teaching purposes, probably the best.' - Sociology
