How do anthropologists use interviews in fieldwork?

Anthropologists use interviews as a key tool in fieldwork to gather qualitative data, deepen their understanding of the culture and social practices of the people they are studying, and build rapport with participants. Interviews allow them to access personal perspectives, local knowledge, and the subjective experiences of individuals within a community.

Here are some key ways anthropologists use interviews in fieldwork:

1. Gathering Oral Histories: Anthropologists conduct interviews to collect oral histories and life stories. This helps them understand the personal and collective narratives of individuals, shedding light on historical events, cultural practices, and social structures from the perspective of community members.
2. Understanding Cultural Practices: Through structured or unstructured interviews, anthropologists can gain insights into specific cultural practices, beliefs, rituals, and norms. By asking questions and probing further, they can explore how people interpret and navigate their own cultural contexts.
3. Building Relationships and Trust: In fieldwork, building trust is crucial for obtaining reliable and honest information. Interviews allow anthropologists to establish rapport with community members, which can lead to more candid and open conversations. This trust is vital for accessing deeper and more personal insights.
4. Eliciting Emic Perspectives: Anthropologists aim to understand the “emic” perspective, which means understanding a culture from the viewpoint of its members. Interviews are a primary method for achieving this, as they allow anthropologists to ask questions that reveal the meaning and significance of practices, rituals, or everyday activities from the participants’ own point of view.
5. Contextualizing Observations: Interviews help anthropologists make sense of their observations in the field. While participant observation offers an insider’s view of events and behaviors, interviews provide context and explanations that clarify why things are done in a particular way, and how they are understood by the people involved.
6. Cross-checking Data: Anthropologists use interviews to validate and cross-check information obtained through other methods, such as observation or participation. This ensures that the data collected is comprehensive and accurate, as it allows the researcher to compare different sources of information.
7. Flexibility in Approach: Interviews can be highly structured, semi-structured, or unstructured, depending on the research goals and the nature of the community being studied. Semi-structured interviews, in particular, offer flexibility by allowing researchers to follow up on interesting leads while still adhering to a set of predetermined questions.