Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Essay

In this essay I will review the question of how the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down exemplifies the techniques of ethnographic research that we have studied in class. Also I will consider the question if there are ways in which Fadiman could have improved her methods to be a better anthropologist. In the essay I will look at the specific methods and techniques that Fadiman utilized. I will discuss where she conducted her research and also cover how she conducted her fieldwork. I suggest Anthropological studies on cultural difference would have a practical application to Lia’s study for the following fact that the Hmong do not completely believe in western medicine. Anne Fadiman isn’t your ordinary anthropologist, she is an American essayist and reporter. In her research she used ethnographic methods such as fieldwork, participant-observation and interviews. Her ethnographic connections were organized by Blia Yao Moua, a clan leader in the same clan as the Lees. “They teach me. When I
She uses qualitative methods as participant observations at sacrificial ceremonies, interviews, written and recorded, all of them ranging from structured to semi-structured and unstructured. From these interviews she also compiles the life histories of the Lees and many others, showing how their life experiences shaped how they have come to view their world. What makes a great ethnographer is the ability to document meticulously the events of their informants and their stories. Fadiman documents and logs Lia Lee’s hospital visits and her prescriptions, she keeps letters from child services, as well as notes from social workers and care providers, all while keeping in mind the emotions and views of Foua and Nao Kao and how they react to these documents. These methods and techniques help to improve the reliability of her findings and validity of her