Fieldwork Locations: Where Sociocultural Anthropologists Conduct Research

Abstract

Historians of anthropology have observed how the locations where sociocultural anthropologists conduct fieldwork have influenced their methods and theories. This paper provides information about (1) where sociocultural anthropologists publishing in selected well-known journals in recent years have been conducting fieldwork; and (2) how contemporary fieldwork locations resemble and differ from those in the past. The geographical distribution of fieldwork sites by world region prior to the mid-1950s differs considerably from that of more recent years. However, since 1960 the only significant changes have been increases in the proportions of field sites in Europe and the Middle East. In comparison with their populations, fieldwork sites in both the past and present greatly overrepresent some regions and countries and underrepresent other regions and countries. The result is a sampling problem that hinders attempts to make cross-cultural generalizations.