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What cultural practice would you want to write about and what ethnographic
of the ethnographer is “to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to
realize his vision of his world” (Malinowski cited in Kottak, 1996:10). In this essay
I shall expand upon Malinowskis’ quote, describe the main field techniques and
demonstrate how I would apply ethnographic methods to the study of oil rig
workers.
Ethnography is looking at the culture from the inside; seeing things through other
peoples’ eyes. It is the analysis of field notes made while studying the group.
Each society has its own set of traditions and cultural practices that are learned
society shapes one’s values, religious beliefs, and ways of behaving and are
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There are various techniques that an ethnographer may employ in making a
immerses themselves in the cultural setting being studied. Clearly this is the most
useful method for seeing things from the inside. To live with the people, to
experience their lifestyle and share some sort of camaraderie gives a good view
daily behaviour and this includes participant observation. They become more
accepted into the community by being actively involved with the group and are
able to reflect on their experience of cultural practices. There are many nuances
in any cultural setting which are difficult to find out from any other method than
indeed to glean much information from daily conversations; such was the case
when Judith Okely studied The Traveller Gypsies (1983: 41). Much of this is
their feelings about events. Some of these notes are reflexive and they are
indispensable.
will depend on the requirements of the situation. Often it will be necessary for the
accepted, and to progress their study. Some meaning can be lost in translation
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as they are spoken,” corpus inscriptionum“, this is again explained by Malinowski
(1961: 24). The ethnographer needs to record their findings in writing for
reflection.
It can be useful for the ethnographer to look at the genealogy of the group and
examine this to make sense of the kinship and political system. It helps them to
customs.
particular areas of community life and often life histories or in depth interviewing
will be done with the elders in the community. (Metcalf, Peter. 2005:13)
The nature of the industry is such that many employees go to work on oil rigs
which are almost islands of society, and while their hierarchies are similar, there
would be differences as the communities are made up of different people and run
these rigs. Their work is often in a shift pattern such that they are flown out to an
oil rig for a few weeks at a time and then flown home for time off work. This
for cultural practice, one on the rig and one off the rig. I would develop the study
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religious differences; healthy eating and lifestyle messages whilst offshore and
any subsequent impact onshore; leisure time; networking between workers and
their families onshore; I would feel compelled to study the impact on the
employees and their families, whether they have to make adjustments to two
different lifestyles i.e. different social rules and use of language, catering and
cleaning arrangements.
In order to really appreciate what it feels like to work in this way I would try to
experience of life on an oil rig. There may well be issues arising from this as I am
where they are separated from their own families, as they are then reliant on
other employees for safety, companionship and many basic needs taken for
granted such as preparation of food etc. The corporate employer now acts as
head of the community rather similar to elders in the family analogy. It is they
who set the values and customs and the employees who interpret and practice
significantly between their work and home environment as the oil rig community
Before going out to the rig it would be useful to look at the structure of the society
in much the same way that genealogy is useful, to determine the lines of
communication and the political system. It may well be useful to talk to managers
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and industrial psychologists, as knowledgeable informants, in order to find out
background information that has already been documented about such working
patterns.
bonding with children when employment takes you away for weeks at a time, and
the home. In order to do this I feel I would need to study some home life
scenarios as well, which means I would try to befriend employees and their
families. While many employees do live in Aberdeen and surrounding area they
do not tend to live in the same community and therefore this aspect would be
sensitive questionnaires which would provide some information but this aspect
for the families to access and share their experiences and this could provide
some valuable insight into the family cultural practice of working on an oil rig. It
may also be possible to set up some family day events and do some informal
knowledge of some of the difficulties very young children have to cope with when
Dad goes offshore and how this then affects their confidence and security in the
classroom environment for a few days while they adjust to a new home routine.
This would be an example of prior learning experience that I would bring to the
study.
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Just as when Judith Okely studied The Traveller Gypsies (1983: 39) she
encountered difficulties in the society trusting her enough to confide their ways
female.
Workers” would be participant observation i.e. taking a job on the rig myself and
the form of career structure within the oil rig society, shift patterns and the
provide a framework for the study. To try to establish if any “kin “are reckoned i.e.
working partners in a similar way that the Inuit have hunting partners. I would
Ask Questions both informally through the development of friendships with co-
workers and their families and possibly internet discussion forum; and more
experiences both in the form of a diary following day to day experiences and
qualitative, reflexive record. I feel it would also be important to try to get to know
a few families better and use participant observation by actually befriending them
I have already had some experience of being involved with families where a shift
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pattern of work away from home is in operation but never from the perspective of
being the person away from home and employment in the “oil rig” community
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Bibliography
Bodenhorn, Barbara. 2000. “Cultures of relatedness: new approaches to the
study of kinship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kottak, Conrad Phillip. 1996 “Chapter One: The Exploration of Cultural Diversity.”
In Mirror for Humanity: A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology,. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1-20.
Monaghan, John & Just, Peter. 2000 “ Social and Cultural Anthropology, A very
short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
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