Science, Technology and Society Revisited: What is Happening to Anthropology and Ethnography?

1. Science, Technology and Society Revisited: What is Happening to Anthropology and Ethnography? Marietta Baba

2. Science, Technology and Society Revisited: What’s Happening to Anthropology and Ethnography Marietta L. Baba

3. 19th Century Anthropology • Anthropology was a 19th century project focused on human and cultural evolution • Anthropological texts and ethnographic practices were distinct • Anthropologists drew upon the ethnographic writings of other professionals

4. Ethnographic Tradition in Anthropology:Bronislaw Malinowski • Long term observation and participation in the field • Detailed recording and description of micro-processes of everyday life • Interpretation of the point of view of people being observed • Production of a monograph offering a holistic account of their practices

5. The Rise of Academic Anthropology:1920-1960 • Ethnography became part of anthropology as positivist social science grew in academia • Anthropology arose as a unified intellectual endeavor that combined empiricism and theory • Scientific legitimacy of anthropology validated British claims of economic development in its African colonies

6. American Anthropology • “Four fields” united by question: What is the nature of humanity? • The “most scientific of the humanities and most humanistic of the sciences” • Materialist vs. mentalist theories diverge (1960s)

7. Interpretive Theory of Culture:1960-1990 • Metaphor of culture as text – Clifford Geertz • Culture could be “read” for meaning by the observer • The observed also interprets the culture • The anthropologist works from interpretations of the observers • Led to critical reflections on ethnographic practices

8. Postmodernism • A set of critical and rhetorical practices that tend to destabilize epistemological certainty • Called into question some of anthropology’s most fundamental conceptual architectures • Loosened the bonds entwining anthropology and ethnography

9. Colonial Critique • Anthropology does not acknowledge the history of global inequality that has produced the subject of ethnography • Anthropology distances itself from history by “essentializing” selected traits of observer and observed

10. Crisis of Representation • Ethnography embeds a dyadic relationship with a less powerful person who is a co-producer of knowledge but receives no recognition or voice • Ethnography also embeds an unacknowledged relationship with a reader • On what grounds does the anthropologist assume authority for representing the Other?

11. Crisis of Representation • The most public form of such criticism was Derek Freeman’s re-study of Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa • Freeman charged Mead with misrepresenting Samoan society based on her youth, lack of access to key members, and romanticizing naiveté • Devastating criticism for anthropologists at the time

12. Ontological Status of Culture • An “essentialized” unchanging and integral set of traits ascribed to the subject became suspect • Anthropologists were caught in a dilemma of “salvaging” such traits in societies that their own countries might be trying to “develop” • Anthropologists could no longer represent “cultures” as pristine isolates with integrated features in an equilibrium state

13. Anthropology as Cultural Critique • Anthropology had lost its raison d'être • Public no longer fascinated with exotic cultures and weren’t sure they mattered • A new vision for anthropology: • Cultural critique -- social criticism of the contemporary with a cross-cultural twist

14. Anthropology as Cultural Critique • Two potential pathways to cultural critique: • 1) de-familiarization by epistemological critique • 2) de-familiarization by cross-cultural juxtaposition • Unfortunately, no one had as yet accomplished either of these feats

15. Enter Foucault • Foucault introduced to American anthropology by Paul Rabinow • Foucault’s method of analysis and language have been widely adopted • Responds to Marcus and Fischer

16. The Foucault Phenomenon • Foucault’s brand of “problematization” • Second order observation • Analytics elevated over theory • Flexible and contingent methods

17. Foucault’s Language and Vision • Biopower • Power/knowledge • Governmentality • A post-theoretical vision of social science • Boutique-like exposition and critique of singularities

18. Anthropology and Ethnography:Quo Vadis? • Ethnographically-informed design • Techno-ethnography in corporate branding • Data analytics or (“Big Data”) • Ethnography • Anthropology

19. Diaspora and the Institutional Anthropologies • Laura Nader: “Study Up” • Diaspora and the “Institutional Anthropologies” • Anthropology at Xerox PARC • Work Practice and Technology Group

20. Ethnographic Practice and Participatory Design • Participatory design practices at PARC gained through collaboration with Scandinavians • Collaboration with civil engineers on site developed prototypes through cooperative design-in-use

21. Ethnographically Informed Design • Ethnography is a resource for the design industry • Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference – EPIC • Critical reflection is an aspect of this practice

22. Ethnography-Branded Firms • Rise of branding and the ethnography-branded firm • Brand distinctions based upon techno- ethnography • Fast technology keeps brand fresh • Cut out the “middle man” observer

23. Techno-ethnography • Re-naming ethnography in terms of technology • Connect self-aware consumers directly to client without “bias of outside observer” • Consumers monitor, organize and assess their own thoughts

24. Why Eliminate the Observer? • Firms reify a vision of social relations based on technology, progress and innovation • Commodification of ethnography • “Problematization” of technology as an object of inquiry

25. National Science Foundation:SBE 2020 Initiative • Call for papers on future of social sciences • 252 “white papers” • Topic extraction http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/sbe_2020_ • Predicting data intensive research

26. Data Analytics or “Big Data” • Increasing volume and detail of digital information • Health care, retail, manufacturing, personal location, public sector EU • Aggregate, analyze, interpret (includes access, sensitivity)

27. Electronic Health Records • Analyzing large data sets to identify patterns and trends could reduce costs • To what extent are cultural assumptions encoded in these data? • Potential role for anthropology

28. Literature on EMR/EHR • Ethnographers are well represented in the emerging literature • There is a scarcity of anthropologists • Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge should be taken seriously

29. Science, Technology and Society Revisited: What’s Happening to Anthropology and Ethnography? Discussion