When we go out into the "field" we aren't blind, we are usually working on a project (the goal has already been determined or idea thought of). Unless you are traveling without direction you are only continuing the homework in a new location.
As I read the above statement that I just rewrote 5 times I can only make sense of saying that fieldwork and homework are almost the same. What if we mix things up by calling a few strangers and have them come to us for the objective of collecting data, if we are seeing this person for the first time is it fieldwork or homework? How much do things need to change as far as visually, emotionally, and physically before we have confused ourselves enough to call it fieldwork?
I'm very confused, please help me because the only other similarity these two words have is "work", and it's a work I care not associate with at 10P.M.
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Jack, I think you've hit it right on the head: do we need to change our own surroundings to make fieldwork (aka anthropological research) effective and/or authoritative? Why can people not write/speak from where they are and be "valid"? It may not be a matter of making ourselves confused, but being surrounded by the unfamiliar or exotic does seem to be important.
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