Essay on Culture and Participant Observer

Submitted By christineabb

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Bronislaw Melinowski played a vital role in helping modern anthropology become what it is today. After watching the documentary I noted the following points;
How Melinowski differed
To make a name for himself, and stand out from his peers, Melinowski immersed himself into the culture he was studying, instead of following the “armchair” method his predecessors did.
He believed, after beginning his observations of the Trobriand Tribe, that you really had to observe a culture to understand it. “To understand people you cannot rely on what they tell you they do, you must rely on yourself watching and seeing what they do.”
In making himself a participant observer, Melinowski learned the language of the tribe while living with them, and participated in their daily activities and rituals. This new way of observing allowed Melinowski to understand that the Tribe is really no different than any other culture in its way of thinking; it is just the rituals that are different.
How Melinowski helped anthropology
After the field study, Melinowski set a president and made being a participant observer a required part of being a real anthropologist. Without this, there would not be as deep understanding of other cultures as there now are today.
The theories and viewpoints, such as the functionalism of the rituals, put a new perspective on people around the world.
The framework of how one goes about being a participant observer; by living with, gaining trust and fully

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