Doing Field Projects

7 Mapping

As you explored in Chapter 6, the way that humans use and orient themselves in space is an important part of their cultural world. In this chapter, you will expand on your abilities to interpret the social dimensions of space by developing a map that is a visual representation of a specific and limited type of data. Mapping is a useful, albeit largely neglected, skill in fieldwork because it can help researchers appreciate the built environment of people’s lives, how that space is used and the cultural meanings and values people associate with it. Importantly, it can also be a source of ethnographic data in itself.

Learning Goals

1. Collect data concerning the social dimensions of the use of space,
2. Plot the findings on a map that is either drawn from scratch or involves reworking an existing map.

Mapping is often neglected as a fieldwork skill, and there are many fieldwork situations where it is not necessary. Nonetheless, it is a useful ability to cultivate, for a variety of reasons. It can help organize fieldwork, appreciate the built environment of people’s lives, and can also be a source of ethnographic data in itself. As we explored in Chapter 5, the way that humans orient ourselves in space and organize our surroundings is an important part of our cultural world. I draw sketch maps when I am doing fieldwork as a matter of habit, and find that the visual presentation of data on a map is also a good way, not only to see large amounts of data at a glance, but ...