Abby

(I have posted this video and reflexive piece first because this student went above and beyond the parameters of the assignment creating an edited video that is divided into two segments below.)

Visual anthropology provided me with an entirely new insight that I have previously not experienced.  I enjoyed the opportunity to work with a variety of individuals, mostly who would be considered strangers. Most of my participant observation took place at the Inner Harbor and surrounding downtown Baltimore areas. The residents from Baltimore that I interviewed clearly opposed Obama’s views, because they feel Obama is assisting the rich in his policies. Most of the informants stated that he is not being truthful, and disregarding any promises that he has made. Although some individuals declined to be interviewed, my desire to interview and videotape them grew rapidly resulting in multiple discussions with my informants. The fieldwork I conducted was a solid experience, helping me get past my shy tendencies, which is eminent towards becoming a real cultural anthropologist.   The inner harbor was where I received the most rejections, in my opinion due to lack of time, knowledge on the subject matter, or feelings of uncomfort based on the questions. After approaching a variety of individuals at the inner harbor, I felt more comfortable approaching people when I went to my next destination, which was Eastern Ave (Highlandtown). This area is definitely not what one would consider ‘wealthy’, therefore both individuals opposed Obama’s views, or did not follow up on his policies. It was interesting working in Highlandtown, which is located in downtown Baltimore because I met very interesting people. Although many of them did not want to be interviewed, I was able to have discussions about what I was doing for ‘OBAltimore’ because they saw me taping my informants and were curious as to what I was doing. Lastly, I still wanted to experience the visual part of anthropology so I interviewed two of my friends in a metropolitan area in Baltimore. They obviously both had clashing views with Obama’s policies and beliefs, claiming that he is not promoting peace or taking action to get our country out of war in Iraq. Overall, this visual anthropology project taught me to be more outgoing, and fieldwork is a great way to learn how different cultures or areas benefit or detriment from certain people, objects, or policies. Getting outside the classroom and into the city of Baltimore really helped me grasp the idea of visual anthropology, cultural anthropology, and fieldwork itself.