Considering An Ethnographic Research Project That You Would

Considering an ethnographic research project that you would find interesting

Consider an ethnographic research project that you would find interesting and that would contribute in a significant way to our understanding of the world and/or of some particular social problem.

Your project proposal should be written out in paragraph format rather than bullet points, and you should include the following in your write-up, using the structure below: 1) Research Question: Identify the intellectual question or social problem you want to address in the research in the form of a question: what would you attempt to find out through this research? Be as specific as possible. In designing your question, you should use at least a few anthropological concepts from throughout the course. Again, be as precise as possible: “I would study how kinship relates to the army” is vague, whereas a clear and specific research question relating to these topics and using course concepts might look like this: “I would examine how the cultural ideal of military service is passed on as part of children’s socialization within families. While descent in the U.S. is reckoned bilaterally, the military is an institution that is male-dominated in both ideology and in practice, so I am interested in whether there is any difference between how family histories of military service are emphasized when they are on the mother’s side or on the father’s side.” 2) Ethnographic Context: Be as specific as possible about the place(s), social group(s), practice(s) or idea(s) that would be the focus of your project. 3) Background and Methods: What prior anthropological concepts, questions or frameworks of analysis inform your question? How would you connect your research project to work that we have read or heard about in this class-- does it resemble other studies we have seen, or does it help us to address similar questions or perspectives to those that other anthropologists have posed? You should also make sure your research question is one that is best answered using ethnographic methods (as opposed to, say, large-scale surveys or statistical analysis of existing data). State what makes this an appropriate question for the methods and concepts of cultural anthropology-- that is, talk briefly about how specific ethnographic techniques and procedures will help you answer the question. 4) Implications: If the goal of your project is to answer an academic question of interest to anthropologists, make it clear what we will learn from this research and how it contributes to our understanding of phenomena or concepts of interest to anthropologists. If you are designing your project with the goal of helping to solve a social problem, be sure to state what the goals of this project would be: how would you intend for your work to address the problem? Note: the best projects will be ones that focus on issues of current concern in the world or relevance to contemporary anthropology; this means, for example, not treating societies or cultures as bounded, isolated entities or ignoring obvious connections between the society/group you focus on and others.

Paper For Above instruction

In designing an ethnographic research project, I am particularly interested in exploring how digital communication influences familial kinship ties among immigrant communities in the United States. My primary research question is: “How does the use of social media and messaging platforms shape perceptions of kinship, authority, and cultural continuity among first-generation immigrant families?” This question is grounded in anthropological concepts such as kinship, socialization, and cultural reproduction, especially considering how technology mediates traditional social structures. I seek to understand whether digital communication reinforces or reshapes kinship norms, especially given the geographic dispersion of family members and the migration experience that often alters traditional family dynamics.

The ethnographic context for this project will focus on first-generation immigrant families from Latin America residing in urban centers like Los Angeles or New York City. These communities maintain strong cultural ties through familial interactions that are often mediated via digital platforms. I plan to study how family members communicate, present themselves, and reinforce cultural values through their online interactions, and how these practices compare to face-to-face interactions within the family. The project will include participant observation of family gatherings, interviews with family members of different ages, and analysis of social media content shared by these families.

My background for this inquiry draws on previous anthropological work on kinship and communication, such as Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities and the role of media in shaping collective identities (Anderson, 1983). Additionally, work by Peter Romijn and colleagues on diasporic communities’ use of social media provides insight into how digital spaces facilitate cultural continuity (Romijn et al., 2017). I believe ethnographic methods are ideal for this project because they allow for nuanced, context-rich understanding of communication practices, which cannot be captured by surveys alone. Participant observation and in-depth interviews will reveal how family members interpret and adapt traditional kinship roles within digital contexts, shedding light on the ongoing negotiation of cultural identity.

The implications of this research are multifaceted. Academically, it will contribute to anthropological understandings of kinship, technology, and cultural adaptation, particularly within migrant contexts. It can reveal how digital media serve as tools for maintaining social bonds and negotiating cultural identity over distances, thus expanding theories of kinship beyond face-to-face interactions. Socially, understanding these dynamics can inform policymakers and community organizations about the importance of digital tools in supporting immigrant integration and cultural preservation. Such insights are especially relevant given the increasing reliance on virtual communication in a post-pandemic world, where physical distance is often unavoidable.

Ultimately, this project aims to demonstrate that digital communication is transforming traditional kinship practices, emphasizing the importance of technology in contemporary social life. By focusing on immigrant families, it highlights how migrants navigate cultural continuity amid change, contributing to broader discussions about the resilience and adaptability of kinship systems in a digital age. This research underscores the profound ways in which anthropological concepts remain relevant and vital in understanding contemporary social phenomena and addressing current global challenges.

References

• Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso.
• Romijn, R., Tolsma, J., & Scheepers, P. (2017). Social Media and Diaspora Identity: Cultural Continuity Among Migrant Communities. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(14), 2394–2412.
• Hannerz, U. (1987). The World in the City: Cosmopolitanism as a Local Condition. Theory, Culture & Society, 4(4), 237-251.
• Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books.
• Briggs, L. (2003). The Politics of Memory: Black Women's Experience of Family and Community. African American Review, 37(2), 253-267.
• Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. University of California Press.
• Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. University of Minnesota Press.
• Krotz, F. (2007). The Networked Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Global Media Journal, 6(11).
• Hall, S. (1996). Popular Culture: Resistance and Appropriation. In S. Hall & T. Jefferson (Eds.), Resistance through Rituals: Youth, Subculture and Identity (pp. 9-31). Routledge.
• Mintz, S. W. (1985). Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Viking.