Positioning is the reason for the intended or unintended projection of the views of the ethnographer on his or her ethnography. There are three different degrees of positions: fixed, textual and subjective. Positioning is not necessarily bad, although it decreases the objectivity of the ethnography. Fixed positions include those that cannot be and will not change during the period of time in which the study is being conducted. I have found that in the beginnings of my first field working experience, I have come to realize my own fixed positions taking effect on my notes. Textual positions are those that can be found in word usage found in both the field notes and the ethnography text itself. Word usage can be a tell regarding the ethnographers emotions towards the subject. Subjective positioning describes the background of the ethnographer – his or her personal history – that might alter the way he or she interprets or conducts research.
Regarding Cintron’s textual positioning in Angel’s Town, his language is very plain and bookish. He does use the words that are common to the area in which he is conducting his research, however, they are all italicized or promptly defined to signify that they are in fact, different and are not a part of the general vocabulary of the field study. On page 104 of the text, Cintron states his own fixed position, “my own naïveté…” This position gives the reader insight into why the author may describe the situation regarding LD the way he does, and not more in depth.
Question: Does Cintron’s divergences from the general theme of his paper towards other topics enhance or inhibit your understanding of the situation he is trying to describe?
I felt like most of the information Ralph gave in his essay was relevant. If he ever did divert I thought he was able to relate it to what he was trying to make a point of, which ultimately lead back in to his over all theme.
ReplyDeleteI noticed as well a few times in which Cintron diverged from his main argument. Perhaps he does this to build credibility and really "sell" to the reader the fact that he is knowledgeable in this field. To me, his elaborations enhance my understanding of the situation because they make it easier for me to identify my own biases as a reader. Several times while I was reading I found myself drawing from previous childhood experiences to make sense of the way I was naturally interpreting the passage.
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