Field Stories

Ida Fadzillah Leggett is associate professor of anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University.William H. Leggett is associate professor of anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University.

• IntroductionWilliam H. LeggettChapter 1: Children and the Experience of Mundane Violence: Unexpected Stories from the FieldIda Fadzillah LeggettChapter 2: Stories from the Other Notebooks: The Poetics of Encounter in Post-War CroatiaJudith PintarChapter 3: Trained Identities: Exploring Emergent Identities Aboard One Slow Moving TrainWilliam H. LeggettChapter 4: AlabamaDerek PardueChapter 5: Friends, Family, Informants: Fieldwork as RelationshipAngela GlarosChapter 6: Friendships, Fieldwork, and the (De)Construction of KnowledgeDaniel MainsChapter 7: Staying in the Field: Living Arrangements, Violence, and the Female AnthropologistDenielle ElliottConclusion: Finding Truths in Different FormsIda Fadzillah Leggett

Field Stories asks anthropologists to consider what moments linger in their minds from fieldwork, what people and events appear unconnected to research topics but nonetheless generate insights, and what stories they tell their students. Essentially, what value do stories have in anthropology? This slender volume comprises seven essays focused on field-based accounts, bookended by an introduction and conclusion. Editors Leggett and Leggett encourage anthropologists to write about "real stories," to relate these to students as well as audiences beyond the classroom, and to take up non-traditional subjects, including ones dealing with personal experiences often excluded from published ethnographies. The chapters draw on events that occurred in Thailand, Croatia, Brazil, Greece, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the US, in stories that provide insight on entry into the field, intimate conversations, friendships and research, identity issues, serendipitous occurrences, mobility and place, and violence. Authors also discuss—and share—writing beyond what is expected: e.g., keeping "other notebooks," writing poetry or a novel, recounting awkward or painful incidents, and publishing anthropologically informed articles that are accessible to a broader public. This book offers encouragement and examples for an academic readership. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.