Are reports of the death of conventional fieldwork in anthropology greatly exaggerated? This book takes a critical look at the latest developments and key issues in fieldwork. The nature of 'locality' itself is problematic for both research subjects and fieldworkers, on the grounds that it must now be maintained and represented in relation to widening (and fragmenting) social frames and networks. Such developments have raised questions concerning the nature of ethnographic presence and scales of comparison. From the social space of a cybercafe to cities in India, the UK and South Africa among others, this book features a wide range of ethnographic studies that provide new ways of looking at the concepts of 'locality' and 'site'. It shows that rather than taking key fieldwork processes such as globalization and mobility for granted, anthropologists are well-placed to examine and critique the totalizing assumptions behind these notions.
Among the social sciences, anthropology relies most fundamentally on "fieldwork"—the long-term immersion in another way of life as the basis for knowledge. In an era when anthropologists are studying topics that resist geographical localization, this book initiates a long-overdue discussion of the political and epistemological implications of the disciplinary commitment to fieldwork. These innovative, stimulating essays—carefully chosen to form a coherent whole—interrogate the notion of "the field," showing how the concept is historically constructed and exploring the consequences of its dominance. The essays discuss anthropological work done in places (in refugee camps, on television) or among populations (gays and lesbians, homeless people in the United States) that challenge the traditional boundaries of "the field." The contributors suggest alternative methodologies appropriate for contemporary problems and ultimately propose a reformation of the discipline of anthropology.
Are reports of the death of conventional fieldwork in anthropology greatly exaggerated? This book takes a critical look at the latest developments and key issues in fieldwork. The nature of 'locality' itself is problematic for both research subjects and fieldworkers, on the grounds that it must now be maintained and represented in relation to widening (and fragmenting) social frames and networks. Such developments have raised questions concerning the nature of ethnographic presence and scales of comparison. From the social space of a cybercafe to cities in India, the UK and South Africa among others, this book features a wide range of ethnographic studies that provide new ways of looking at the concepts of 'locality' and 'site'. It shows that rather than taking key fieldwork processes such as globalization and mobility for granted, anthropologists are well-placed to examine and critique the totalizing assumptions behind these notions.
A revealing look at the common causes of failures in randomized control experiments during field reseach—and how to avoid them All across the social sciences, from development economics to political science, researchers are going into the field to collect data and learn about the world. Successful randomized controlled trials have brought about enormous gains, but less is learned when projects fail. In Failing in the Field, Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel examine the taboo subject of failure in field research so that researchers might avoid the same pitfalls in future work. Drawing on the experiences of top social scientists working in developing countries, this book describes five common categories of failures, reviews six case studies in detail, and concludes with reflections on best (and worst) practices for designing and running field projects, with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials. Failing in the Field is an invaluable “how-not-to” guide to conducting fieldwork and running randomized controlled trials in development settings.
From research preparations to post-research debriefing, this book covers every stage of the social research process, outlining how to undertake fieldwork as safely as possible.
Examines how anthropological fieldwork has been affected by technological shifts in the 25 years since the 1990 publication of Fieldnotes : the making of anthropology, edited by Roger Sanjek, published by Cornell University Press.
Electromagnetic Analysis and Condition Monitoring of Synchronous Generators Discover an insightful and complete overview of electromagnetic analysis and fault diagnosis in large synchronous generators In Electromagnetic Analysis and Condition Monitoring of Synchronous Generators, a team of distinguished engineers delivers a comprehensive review of the electromagnetic analysis and fault diagnosis of synchronous generators. Beginning with an introduction to several types of synchronous machine structures, the authors move on to the most common faults found in synchronous generators and their impacts on performance. The book includes coverage of different modeling tools, including the finite element method, winding function, and magnetic equivalent circuit, as well as various types of health monitoring systems focusing on the magnetic field, voltage, current, shaft flux, and vibration. Finally, Electromagnetic Analysis and Condition Monitoring of Synchronous Generators covers signal processing tools that can help identify hidden patterns caused by faults and machine learning tools enabling automated condition monitoring. The book also includes: A thorough introduction to condition monitoring in electric machines and its importance to synchronous generators Comprehensive explorations of the classification of synchronous generators, including armature arrangement, machine construction, and applications Practical discussions of different types of electrical and mechanical faults in synchronous generators, including short circuit faults, eccentricity faults, misalignment, core-related faults, and broken damper bar faults In-depth examinations of the modeling of healthy and faulty synchronous generators, including analytical and numerical methods Perfect for engineers working in electrical machine analysis, maintenance, and fault detection, Electromagnetic Analysis and Condition Monitoring of Synchronous Generators is also an indispensable resource for professors and students in electrical power engineering.
This book reports on various techniques for fault location on cross bonded cables, identifies the best method and describes the construction of a full fault locator system. The developed system is able of pinpointing the fault location on long cross-bonded cable systems and will be installed in Danish substations for monitoring the coming cable-based transmission grid. The work was conducted as part of a collaborative project between the department of energy technology at Aalborg University and the Danish transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas, Energinet.dk.
