Ethnographic?

eth·nog·ra·phy  (th-ngr-f)

n.

The branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of specific human cultures.

Trying to decide which category I fall in, or what category i'd like to think I'd fall in...

• “The kindly ethnographer” – Most ethnographers present themselves as being more sympathetic than they actually are, which aids in the research process, but is also deceptive. The identity that we present to subjects is different from who we are in other circumstances.
• “The friendly ethnographer” – Ethnographers operate under the assumption that they should not dislike anyone. In actuality, when hated individuals are found within research, ethnographers often crop them out of the findings.
• “The honest ethnographer” – If research participants know the research goals, their responses will likely be skewed. Therefore, ethnographers often conceal what they know in order to increase the likelihood of acceptance.

 What got me to this point?

I've been reading Dr Julian Stallabrass' essays to try and find some basis to my dissertation, one i've found helpful in particular, is her essay "What’s in a Face? Blankness and Significance in Contemporary Art Photography" 
A critique of the current trend (one I fully admit to adhering to) in photography of photographing subject's in a uniformed series, she relates this to post colonial, anthropological photography; trying to ascertain culture. 
Her writing is very astute and has set my mind alight with ideas of what I consider this type of photography to be, there is hope for me yet.
She references several artists including Rineke Dijkstra, a perfect example of this modern, social 'capture' style of photography, which she then suggests may have political connotations of our 21st century world.

"An examination of this work may illuminate questions about the representation of difference and identity in the globalized art world. Perhaps, too, the success of this deadpan but alluring trend is connected to the political view of the subject under neoliberalism." 

Now it's time to do some homework, Lévi-Strauss 'Tristes Tropiques' and it's 600 pages are next on my hit list. 

It's all about social anthropology, I guess.

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