Roles in Sociological Field Observations

Abstract

Buford Junker has suggested four theoretically possible roles for sociologists conducting field work. These range from the complete participant at one extreme to the complete observer at the other. This chapter presents extensions of Junker's thinking growing out of systematic interviews with field workers whose experience had been cast in one or more of these patterns of researcher-subject relationship. Although basically similar to the complete observer role, the participant-as-observer role differs significantly in that both field worker and informant are aware that theirs is a field relationship. Simmel's distinction between intimate content and intimate form contains an implicit warning that the latter is inimical to field observation. The observer-as-participant role is used in studies involving one-visit interviews. It calls for relatively more formal observation than either informal observation or participation of any kind. The complete observer role entirely removes a field worker from social interaction with informants.

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