Short notes
Tools of data collection
Tools Of Data Collection
Definition
Empiricism – observation-based, scientific & systematic.
Example / case study
- Land alienation narratives in tribal communities.
Thinkers
- • Bronislaw Malinowski – Trobriand Islanders (Kula exchange): E.E. Evans-Pritchard – Nuer political system; W.H.R. Rivers – Torres Strait Expedition; Kenneth Good - Yanomami Tribe of Brazil.
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.
Observation
Definition
Established Dept. of Anthropology, Calcutta University.
Thinkers
- S.C. Roy (1871–1942) – First Indian Ethnographer
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.
Interview
Definition
Consciousness is always directed towards something (memory, idea, object).
Example / case study
- Malinowski’s study of Trobriand Islanders.
- Clifford Geertz – Cockfight (removed personal bias).
- Travis Martin – Veterans’ homecoming experiences.
Schedules
Definition
Separation from old identity, roles, and outside life
Example / case study
- Land alienation narratives in tribal communities.
Thinkers
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.
- L.H. Morgan (Iroquois, 1840s – though semi-field): British Field Tradition.
Questionnaire
Definition
Holistic approach | Specialized approach
Example / case study
- in Indian Tribes: ICMR (2009) studies utilized these techniques to identify widespread Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED) among Indian tribal communities, using Body Mass Index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference as primary indicators of health status.
- in Indian Tribes: Clinical surveys conducted in tribal regions of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh revealed a high prevalence of Goiter (iodine deficiency) and Bitot’s spots (Vitamin A deficiency)
- in Indian Context: According to NFHS-5 (2019–21) data, more than 57% of Indian women aged 15–49 are anemic. This assessment relies on hemoglobin tests to provide biochemical evidence of poor iron status across the population.
- in Global Tribes: Among the Maasai pastoralists, Galvin (1992) used dietary recall to document their extreme seasonal dependence on milk and meat, showing how their health fluctuates with their herding cycles
Thinkers
- Eric Wolf | Anthropology as an interdisciplinary discipline
Case Study
Definition
Tribal customs incorporated into Hinduism → smooth absorption.
Example / case study
- Yellamma – mother goddess of tribes, seen as incarnation of Parvati.
- Bhil story – integrated into Shiva-Parvati narrative.
- Khasas (UK) – polyandry linked to Pandavas.
Thinkers
- Eg. OBC rise in North India (Jaffrelot: Silent Revolution).
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.
Genealogy
Definition
Biological anthropology studies human evolution, heredity, variation and adaptation using scientific methods, while recognising the influence of culture on biology.
Example / case study
- Raj Banshi: Different status in Assam (OBC), WB (SC), Meghalaya (ST).
- Earlier Kshatriya demand in 1921 status, then sc status(WB) then Kamatpur state having ST status.
- Bodo vs Kachari (Assam): Kacharis claimed to be Bodos → conflict with Bodos.
- Religious & Linguistic Minorities in India
Life-History
Definition
Technique, Method and Methodology
Example / case study
- Land alienation narratives in tribal communities.
- Joint Forest Management (JFM) under FRA 2006.
Thinkers
- Clifford Geertz – “Thick description” in Balinese Cockfight.: Quantitative Data.
- L.H. Morgan (Iroquois, 1840s – though semi-field): British Field Tradition.
Oral History
Definition
Empiricism – observation-based, scientific & systematic.
Example / case study
- • Tribal narratives of displacement in India
- Traced migration from Deccan–Konkan region → Son valley → Chotanagpur Plateau.
Thinkers
- L.H. Morgan (Iroquois, 1840s – though semi-field): British Field Tradition.
Secondary Sources Of Information
Definition
secondary sources of information
Example / case study
- Land alienation narratives in tribal communities.
Thinkers
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.
Participatory Methods
Definition
Ethnography and it’s type(7) & ethnology
Example / case study
- Land alienation narratives in tribal communities.
Thinkers
- • Interview – Margaret Mead (Samoa adolescence study): Genealogical method – W.H.R. Rivers (Toda tribe); Survey method – M.N. Srinivas (Rampura village study); Case study – Oscar Lewis (Culture of Poverty, Mexico).
- Bronislaw Malinowski — participant observation; culture exists to satisfy biological and psychological needs.