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Revision as of 23:29, 21 August 2007

=The New Millennium Guide to Fieldwork= Edited by Laith Ulaby

UCLA Graduate Students Kevin Miller and Anoosh Jorjorian as "Ethnographer" and "Native"

Introduction

The notion of fieldwork has changed drastically over the last few decades. It can be accomplished thousands of miles from home or in your living room with a group of friends or on your computer. The politics, complexities and approaches we face today are part of what makes this enterprise so exciting. However, even though many ethnomusicologists feel comfortable applying the latest critical theory to their research material there are a lot of questions about the practical nature of fieldwork, especially those of us that find ourselves undertaking the classical “thousands of miles from home” research projects.

Some of this guide may be applicable to what you do, but a lot of it may not. I hope it can help you make the important decisions that you will be faced with as you prepare to enter the field. I have written this guide particularly for ethnomusicologists, but hope that it will be useful to anthropologists, linguists, folklorists and anyone interested in doing similar fieldwork. I have taken the approach that you, like myself, are also on a strict budget. I think my recommendations toe the line between respecting those that are letting you record them and not breaking the bank. That being said, ANY equipment you use will produce better results with familiarity and practice. It is important that you spend time learning how to make the best use of whatever you use for documenting your fieldwork.

Choosing your equipment involves many complicated factors and as of yet there really is no “silver bullet” or universal answer for everyone’s needs. I can’t stress enough even a modicum of independent research online can help you find the most appropriate gear for your research and your budget. There are tons of message boards dedicated to audio and video recording. You can find a lot of answers there and even post your own questions.

I am writing this guide with those in mind that are passionate about documenting the wonderful world around us, but not necessarily technical experts on the technologies involved. Several people have already helped out on the project and we look forward to your contributions.

Lastly, I wrote this rather quickly so please forgive any language problems or inaccuracies. I do not take responsibility for any choices anyone makes from this guide and would love to receive any feedback (both in terms of grammar and content: laith.ulaby@gmail.com).

Contents:

• Equipment
  • Still Camera
  • Video
  • Audio
  • Microphones

• Accessories

• Logistics

• Bibliography

• Info/You can help!

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