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Observing the other: reflections on anthropological fieldwork

P Buckley1

  • 1Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|January 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Anthropological fieldwork can unconsciously activate early infantile conflicts, leading to new emotional object relationships and transference with the studied society. This psychoanalytic perspective offers insights into the anthropologist's subjective experience.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalytic Anthropology
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Fieldwork in anthropology involves deep immersion in alien cultures.
  • The subjective experiences of anthropologists during fieldwork are complex and often unexamined.
  • Psychoanalytic theory offers a framework for understanding unconscious processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine anthropological fieldwork through a psychoanalytic lens.
  • To explore the unconscious motivations and conflicts stimulated by fieldwork.
  • To investigate the potential for establishing new object relationships during fieldwork.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Bronisław Malinowski's fieldwork journal, "A Diary in the Strict Sense of the Term."
  • Psychoanalytic case study of an anthropologist before and after fieldwork.

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  • Examination of free-associative writing to identify derivatives of infantile conflicts.

    • Main Results:

    • Malinowski's diary revealed how fieldwork stimulated derivatives of early infantile conflicts.
    • The patient's analysis uncovered unconscious meanings and motivations for undertaking fieldwork.
    • Fieldwork may unconsciously foster emotionally charged object relationships and transference.

    Conclusions:

    • Fieldwork can trigger unconscious psychological processes, including transference.
    • The anthropologist may form new, emotionally significant relationships with the studied society.
    • A psychoanalytic viewpoint provides valuable insights into the anthropologist's subjective experience during fieldwork.