Why this blog?

This blog is about my attempt to turn anthropology (and my pursuit of it) into something comprehensible.  What was once my impractical undergraduate major became, 10 years later, the pursuit of a PhD.  When I explain to people what I do, I'm usually greeted with confusion that quickly compounds into skepticism.  These interaction usually end with something similar to pity. Though I do often question my pursuit of a PhD, I never question my pursuit of anthropology.  I hope the compositions of this blog create a narrative underscoring how anthropology is beneficial not just to the nerds who pursue it, but to the world at large. Now seems the most momentous time to do such voicing because I am embarking on the actual research part. I've spent 4 years preparing and now I'm finally getting to do the doing. And in preparing to do the doing part, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how anthropology can and should better position itself in the bigger and more accessible picture of communication and idea sharing. For better or worse, that means clogging up the internet with more content. Here are my musings to get things started. 

Spoiler alert: Anthropology is not the study of bugs. 

Though a fellow anthropologist and I have become a bit fascinated by the mutant ants found in Ghana, anthropologists seek to understand diversity and change in the human experience. Anthropological research is grounded in empiricism and not experiment. We place ourselves in real world situations to collect data that addresses our research questions.  We use qualitative and quantitative methods to do this. Where we do this research, we term "the field." The field can be a site thousands of miles away from your own cultural context or it can be the neighborhood you live in.  For me, the field is the Wa West District in the Upper West Region of Ghana (more on this place, soon). Though often overly and overtly romanticized (in reality it entails a whole lot of emotional upheaval led by a general distrust of self),  fieldwork is the penultimate moment for an anthropologist. As such, I hope this blog helps to communicate how cultural anthropologists conduct research as well as why there is merit in how and why we do this kind of research. Though it's probably guaranteed that I'm going to occasionally write about the toils of fieldwork, my intention is to demonstrate what anthropology is (as in its not entomology) and how it is a discipline that not only presents data about the diverse human experience, but crafts a way for viewing and interacting with the world.  

Because my research takes place in Ghana, a supplementary goal is to share my empirical perspective on a small country in a giant continent that remains largely misconceived. I first went to Ghana in 2002 as an undergraduate on a study abroad program. I was captivated by every single minute of exploration, frustration, joy, and trepidation. The decision to go is what I've come to refer to as my “spastic epiphany” and upon leaving, I knew I was going to return. I didn't walk away from Ghana captivated by how different it was, but rather by how similar the differences felt.  I hope to deconstruct ideas that develop when we rely on fast-moving and superficial information about African issues and affairs.  It is my goal to encourage critical thinking about a diverse Ghanaian context that faces social, economic, and political challenges that parallel issues experienced all over the world.  And, though my research is very "issues" oriented, in order to heed the calls that are proliferating in the writings and musings pouring forth from around the continent, I hope to shape a blog that also shows that this giant landmass is more than issues, but simmering with ideas, actions and creative juices that are incredibly fulfilling. 

This is how ginormous the African continent is.  With so much land, how could things not be hugely variable???  This is why the website Africa Is a Country is so snarkily awesome.