An Invitation to "First-Person Fieldwork"

What kind of image comes to mind when you think of the academic discipline of cultural anthropology? Perhaps it is the practice of stepping into "uncivilized" lands, living with the local people, and describing the structure and meaning of their myths, rituals, and magic through participant observation. An activity for "us," who live in modern civilization, to learn from and utilize the cultures and languages of a distant "them." The control and development of non-Western societies by Westerners through the power of "knowledge." An awareness of the diverse ways of the world, revealed by immersing oneself in a different culture, listening to various voices, and feeling the atmosphere of a place. It could be described as an adventure into the infinite possibility that there may be worlds completely different from the one we perceive as normal. Following this train of thought, one realizes that cultural anthropology does not fit neatly into the category of an academic discipline. It begins to seem like the very act of learning, seeing, listening, and living together.

While I practice fieldwork, a method of anthropological research, in various settings, in recent years I have been exploring the potential of "first-person fieldwork as a somatic approach." Fieldwork is always somatic in the sense that it is a method of participating and experiencing things firsthand, but I want to convey the fascination of becoming aware of the relationship between one's own body and the environment through fieldwork.

Attention to the body in anthropology has been growing, spurred by the 1993 paper "Somatic Modes of Attention" ¹ by medical anthropologist Thomas Csordas. While it can be said that traditional anthropological research posited a conflict between subject and object, with a cognitive mode of attention being dominant, Csordas shifts the focus from semiotic and symbolic understanding to an understanding of experience itself. In recent years, the body has been viewed not as a mere object, but as an experiencing agent. Csordas explains that Somatic Modes of Attention are about "attending to our bodies and at the same time attending with our bodies. Such modes are culturally elaborated and given meaning" (1993, 138). Since this is difficult to grasp conceptually, in my classes we explore how to actually conduct fieldwork using Somatic Modes of Attention through concrete exercises. The following is an example of an exercise we do in class.

・ Observing daily actions with somatic modes of attention: Mindful eating:

I ask students to prepare a single piece of food, such as a raisin or a walnut, in advance. Place the food in the palm of your hand, and carefully feel its presence and observe it. As if you were an alien encountering this food on Earth for the first time, turn your attention to this single gift of nature with a beginner's mind. Align your mind with the existence, the life, of this single piece. Examine the weight, hardness, coolness, unique shape, smell, sound, the way the light hits it, and the texture of the single piece. As you focus your attention on this single piece, observe what you are experiencing—the sensations in your body and the changes in your mind. Turn your awareness to the conditions under which it grew and the journey it took to arrive here in your palm. Also, observe the emotions and impulses that arise as you commune with it. Slowly, bring the piece to your mouth and slowly place it inside. Without chewing for a moment, try rolling it around in your mouth. Then, as you begin to chew, observe your experience of eating it with your body, and observe the changes that occur in your body and mind. After chewing slowly for a while, swallow it, and then observe the sensation of it passing through your digestive system and the lingering sensations after swallowing.

Following the guidance of my voice, the students practice mindful eating in this way. After the exercise, they have a group discussion, and for the post-class assignment, they describe their experience in detail using words. In addition to this, we try various other first-person fieldwork exercises in class, such as a slow walking practice and an exercise to sense presence while blindfolded.

Through exercises like these, it becomes clear that anthropological fieldwork can be practiced in our daily lives, without having to travel to distant, "uncivilized" lands. By paying attention with our bodies to the things we overlook or do unconsciously every day, we can travel to "distant" places through "nearby" things, and at the same time, we can savor our experiences more "closely," in richer and more detailed ways. By opening our five senses in a somatic mode and conducting first-person fieldwork, we may be able to fully savor each and every moment as a new experience and a new landscape.

¹ Csordas, Thomas. 1993. "Somatic Modes of Attention."Cultural Anthropology8, no. 2: 135–56.