I have linked previously to Kate Clancy’s discussion of sexual harassment and field work in anthropology. This is an important, though often unspoken, issue within anthropology. Particularly for those subfields that have group, field-site focused research, “the field” is a complex social place, often lacking the traditional social norms/taboos/constraints that exist in normal day to day life. For many anthropologists, this is part of the appeal of the field. I know that as an early graduate student, one of the things I loved about the field was that I was in a place where I had no access to electricity, hot water or the usual tools that guide my tasks on a daily basis (computer, phone, internet). For eight weeks at a time, it was liberating. I was also part of a fairly large, but close, international group of researchers, many young graduate students, at the site. The environment was immensely formative for me as a researcher, peer and person. But the potential upside of the liminal state of “the field” have corresponding downsides as well, often evidenced by blurred social boundaries coupled with clear hierarchical power structures. I made sure to include a lecture on field ethics during the Dmanisi Field school to make spoken some of these unspoken issues with my students.
All of which is a prelude to say that if you have had a field experience in biological anthropology, you should strongly consider filling out this survey put together by Kate Clancy and colleagues (Robin Nelson, Julienne Rutherford, Katie Hinde).
