The basics of ethnographic fieldwork are presented in this chapter. Personal field experiences are used to illustrate various stages of fieldwork and approaches to ethnography. The discussion is broken into sections:

1. preparation for the field, includes material on ethics, theoretical models, approaches to ethnography, research proposals, and funding;
2. entering the native community (adapting physically and psychologically and developing rapport);
3. methods of gathering data;
4. analysis and reporting. Appendix B—How do you make string figures?—offers students the opportunity to try this cross-cultural pastime that was used by the author and her family to establish rapport in the Spanish village.