Critical Review #5

Barz, Gregory F. "Confronting the Field(note) In and Out of the Field." In Shadows in the Field: New Perspectives for Fieldwork in Ethnomusicology edited by Barz, Gregory F. and Timothy J. Cooley, 206-223. New York: Oxford University Press.

In his article Confronting the Field(note) In and Out of the Field, Barz makes the argument that fieldnotes mediate between experience in the field and interpretation outside the field. Barz claims that a fieldnote “ ‘changes’ whatever experience it focuses on, whether through magnification, clarification, examination, or reduction” (210); ethmusicologists reflect on, and consequently change, their sensory experience in the field by writing a fieldnote. For Barz, this reflective process of writing fieldnotes opens the door to interpretation. For example, fieldnotes have helped him see experiences form different perspectives (213) or uncover new questions he may have not have considered before putting his thoughts into writing (214).

After writing my own fieldnotes, I understand Barz’s point that writing down your experiences in the field is a form of reflection that can lead to new insights. For me, writing about my experiences and perceptions of pirates led me to interesting questions about the role and image of ARRR on Brown Campus.

So how would an ethnomusicologist incorporate fieldnotes into an ethnography? Should ethnographers include their notes in appendix’s or blog, or should explain how they reached their interpretation by referencing their notes directly?