The art of fieldwork /

Close to a dozen books are available on ethnographic field research. Many are formulaic and seem designed to minimize the anxieties of neophyte ethnographers; this book does not fall into that category. It is thoughtful, well written, solidly documented, and not in the least patronizing. In the final chapter, Wolcott (emer., Univ. of Oregon) explains that "I now temper my enthusiasm," and proceeds to argue that a core issue in contemporary ethnography lies in how what is observed is depicted, "and what we consciously choose not to portray." All are issues of judgment, even ethics. Earlier in the book there are in-depth discussions of the context of fieldwork, the methodologies that fit particular needs and goals, and how field research and theoretical concerns must work in tandem. The basic model of fieldworker and research site remains that of the intrepid ethnographer sojourning in remote locations and bringing back tales of Otherness. Today, however, a growing number of anthropologists work in fast-changing global environments that defy an "us/them" dualism, and not a few anthropologists study their own societies. These realities are changing the discipline. This is a fine and genuinely useful book. ^BSumming Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. O. Pi-Sunyer University of Massachusetts at Amherst