4/22/2017 Youve got to draw it if you want to see it: Drawing as an Ethnographic Method | Teaching Culture

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POSTEDBY AndrewCausey DATE February20,2015 COMMENTS NoComments

CATEGORY MainStory

GraphicAdventuresinAnthropology

ThisisthesecondpostinanewblogseriescalledGraphicAdventuresinAnthropology.Onceaweek
for7weeks,aguestcontributorwillwriteaboutsomeaspectofgraphicanthropology(andbygraphic
wemeandrawingingeneral,andcomicsinparticular),fromvisualculturetovisualcommunication,and
fromethnographicmethodtodisseminationdevice,culminatingintheannouncementofanewserieswe
arelaunchingatthepresscalledethnoGRAPHIC.Heresthelineup:

AndrewCausey:DrawingasanEthnographicMethod
StacyLeighPigg:LearningGraphicNovelsfromanArtistsPerspective
SherineHamdy&MonaDamluji:ReflectingonArabComics:90YearsofVisualCulture
ColemanNye:TeachingComicsinaMedicalAnthropology&HumanitiesClass
GillianCrowther:FieldworkCartoonsRevisited
JulietMcMullin:ComicsintheCommunity
NickSousanis:UnflatteningScholarshipwithComics
AnneBrackenbury:ethnoGRAPHIC:ANewSeriesbyUniversityofTorontoPress

Seelastweeksblogpostinghere.

Youvegottodrawitifyouwanttoseeit:DrawingasanEthnographicMethod
ByAndrewCausey,AssociateProfessorofAnthropology,ColumbiaCollegeChicago

(ColumbiaCollegeisaprivatearts,media,andcommunicationcollegeindowntownChicago.Andrewis
oneoftwofulltimeanthropologistsintheHumanities,History,andSocialSciencesDepartment,andis
committedtointroducingnonmajorstoissuesofworldartandculturalvisualities,hopingtobridge
perspectivesfromtheartswiththoseofanthropology.Inaddition,Andrewisapracticingartistand
musician.)

MyteacherLindaSchelesaidthosewordstomeyearsagowhenteachingmeabouttheiconographyof
ancientMayasculptures.Shedgivenmeanassignment:tomakesenseofthecarvedstonemonuments
fromtheancientsiteQuirigua,insoutheastGuatemala.AllIhadwerephotocopiesofAlfredMaudsleys
1880sphotographs,andIwashavingtroubledistinguishingmeaningfulelementsfromtheconvoluted
Baroquetendrilsandcurlsontheseelaboratecarvings.Ibroughtmyphotocopiestoherhouse,andthe
firstthingshedidwasputoneonalightbox,tapingasheetoftracingpaperontop,saying,Youll
neverseeathingjuststaringatitonpaper!Youvegottodrawitifyouwanttoseeit.

Shebeganfollowingthecontoursofthefigureshead,showingmehowtoliftthetracingpapertomake
surethelinesfollowedproperly.Shehandedthepenciltome,andshewasright:assoonasIbeganto
drawit,Ibegantoseeit.

Schelesnotthefirsttoinsistthattotrulyseesomethingwemustdrawit.SurelyJohnDeweyandthe
pragmatistswouldhaveencouragedsuchactsastheirlearnbydoingcredoRudolfArnheimsupported
thisnotioninhisbookVisualThinking,saying,tomakeanobjectvisiblemeanstograspitsessential
traits(1969:254).JohnBergernotedthatdrawingisimmediateinitsreckoningoftherealandfleeting
moment,allowingustochallengedisappearance(1985:149),andhelpingustoreconsidertheactof
drawing.Butintermsofpracticalengagementswithlinedrawing,themostinfluentialworksofthepast
decadesareprobablyBettyEdwardsDrawingontheRightSideoftheBrain(1979)andDrawingonthe
ArtistWithin(1986).Inthelatterbook,Edwardsexploresthenotionthatdrawingisactuallyasystemof
seeingwithprecision,notingthattoooftentheproduct(thedrawing)takesprecedenceovertheprocess
(theactofactuallyseeingdeeply).

Bothanecdotalevidenceandcarefulacademicresearchseemtoindicatethattakingnotesbyhand,and
byextensionmakingvisualnotesviadrawing,engagethebraininawaythatincreasescognitive
processesandmemory(seeforexample,MuellerandOppenheimer2014).Inmyownethnographic
researchinNorthSumatra,IndonesiaIfoundthatIgainedappreciationoftheentomologicalworld
aroundmebycollectingandthendrawingmothsIfound,asahobbyuponseeingthesedrawings,my
carvingteacherintroducedmetoaspectsofBatakculturethatIwouldnothavediscoveredotherwise
(Causey2012).

Iteachatacollegewheremoststudentsget
undergraduatedegreesintheartsand
communicationfields.Becausesomanyofthem
areworkingwithdifferentkindsofvisual
materials,Ialwaysassumedtheyalsoknewhow
toperceivecarefully.Afteraboutsixyearsof
teachingacoursecalledVisualAnthropology
(addressingavarietyofvisualities,fromworld
arttosymbolsystemsandrepresentation),I
grewincreasinglyfrustratedabouttheirseeming
contentednesstolookonlyatsurfaces.

Finally,impatientwiththeirinabilitytosee
figuresonaMayapaintedvesselevenwhenI
waspointingoutthefeaturesonthescreenI
photocopiedthevasesimageusinghigh
contrast.RememberingtheadviceofLinda

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4/22/2017 Youve got to draw it if you want to see it: Drawing as an Ethnographic Method | Teaching Culture

ApageofmydrawingsofbugsthatIfound
aroundmyhomeinNorthSumatra,someof
whichpromptedmycarvingteachertoshare
culturalinformationunobtainableotherwise.
them.
Schele,Iaskedthemtodrawdirectlyonthe
paper,followingthecontours.Onebyone,I
couldseethestudentsperceivethefiguresas
theypoppedintoview.WhatIrealized:Ihadto
teachthemhowtoseenotjustMayakingsin
complexsurroundings,butalsotheworldaround

ThemoreIvethoughtaboutit,themoreIthinkthatmanyanthropologistsmaynotseeverywell,
either.Idontsaythisasacritique,butasanobservationofthesocialworldswecomefrom.First,to
succeed,weareincreasinglyrequiredtomakesenseofourvisualsurroundingsbyskimming,scanning,
glancing,andbrowsing:thefasterthebetter.Second,whileethnographicfieldworkersaretaughtto
carefullyobserve,theirobservationsareordinarilytranslatedintowordsastheythinkandasthey
write.Perhapsthesetwoaspectsresultinlimitedperception,andso,inlimitedunderstanding.If
Arnheim,Berger,Schele,andEdwardsareright,thentoseemoreclearlywemayneeddrawingtohelp
us.

Icontinuemysearchfortextstohelpmeteachstudentstosee.JamesElkinsTheObjectStaresBack:
OntheNatureofSeeing(1996)givesvitalinspirationtoreconsiderwhatitmeanstoperceivetheworld.
Healsoprovidesusthephrasevisualliteracytostresstheimportanceofseeingasanessential
ingredientofeducation(Elkins2008).

Morerecentworkspromotetheuseoflinedrawingasalegitimateethnographicmethod.MichaelTaussig
discussestheimportanceofdelineationinhisrecentworkISwearISawThis(2011),describingseveral
situationswherelinedrawing(thatis,itsactiveprocessandtheinformationitconveys)revealednew
ethnographicunderstandingsofthevisualenvironment.Inmyownethnographicwork,similarsituations
arose:inattemptingtodrawwomenhoeingtheirdryfields,localBatakscriticizedmydepictions,yet
alsoprovidedvaluableinformationabouthowthehoeisheld,howthewomenwrappedtheirfabrichead
clothsandbacksavingsarongsaroundtheirwaists,andhowtheypositionedtheirfeetastheymoved
acrossthefieldbreakingupthesoil.

TimIngoldsresearchsuchashisgroundbreakingLines:ABriefHistory(2008),whichconsiders
humanexperienceasthreadsandtraces,andhismorerecenteditedvolumeRedrawingAnthropology:
Materials,Movements,Lines(2011),whichexplicitlycallsforafocusondrawing(inthebroadestsense
ofmakinglinearmovementvisible),alsosuggestavenuestomoreinnovativeresearch.CartoonistLynda
Barrymightguidetheway:hernewbookSyllabus(2014)providesuswithsomepracticalexercisesfor
seeingdrawing.

Isupposeitstimeforethnographerstotakeactionnotsimplyponderthepossibilities.Letsstart
makinglines,andbydoingsoteachourselves(orletothersinstructus)toseemoredeeplyandrichly.

Sources:

Arnheim,Rudolf
1969VisualThinking.London:FaberandFaberLimited.

Barry,Lynda
2014Syllabus:NotesfromanAccidentalProfessor.Montreal:DrawnandQuarterlyPress.

Berger,John
1985DrawntoThatMoment,inTheSenseofSight.NewYork:PantheonBooks.

Causey,Andrew
2012DrawingFlies:ArtworkintheField,CriticalArts:SouthNorthCulturalandMediaStudies,26
(3):162174.

Edwards,Betty
1979DrawingontheRightSideoftheBrain.NY:Tarcher.
1986DrawingontheArtistWithin:AnInspirationalandPracticalGuidetoIncreasingYourCreative
Powers.NY:FiresideBook.

Elkins,James
1996TheObjectStaresBack:OntheNatureofSeeing.NewYork:HarvestBooks.
2008VisualLiteracy.NewYork:Routledge.

Mueller,PamA.andDanielM.Oppenheimer
2014ThePenisMightierthantheKeyboard:AdvantagesofLonghandOverLaptopNoteTaking,
inPsychologicalScience,June,25:6:11591168.

Taussig,Michael
2011ISwearISawThis:DrawingsinFieldworkNotebooks,NamelymyOwn.Chicago:Universityof
ChicagoPress.

TAGS AndrewCausey, anthropology, BettyEdwards, ColumbiaCollegeChicago, Drawingonthe

ArtistWithin, DrawingontheRightSideoftheBrain, ethnoGRAPHIC, ethnography, GraphicAdventures
inAnthropology, ISwearISawThis, JamesElkins, JohnBerger, LindaSchele, Lines, LyndaBarry,
MichaelTaussig, pedagogy, RedrawingAnthropology, RudolfArnheim, syllabus, TheObjectStares
Back, TimIngold, visualanthropology, VisualThinking

TheHigherEducationDivisionoftheUniversityofTorontoPress(UTP)
publishesmaterialsforcourseusethatarepedagogicallyvaluableandthatalsocontributetoongoingscholarship.

2014.UniversityofTorontoPress.Allrightsreserved.TermsandConditions

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