Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - How many researchers are there on the forum when it comes to Indian wapons

Ian · 25th September 2018, 10:01 PM

Hi marius,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this fascinating topic. What you describe is typical of ethnographic research--boots on the ground, filling copious notebooks with data, immersed in the culture, etc ... However, there are other legitimate research efforts that are less demanding on time and resources.

For example, reading scholarly works and historical accounts adds to our understanding of what others have seen and may be the only practical way of assessing changes over time. Current local informants are not always the most accurate source of information, and historical trends and records are not always preserved accurately within their original cultures. The internet has certainly expanded our access to knowledge such that some research can be done from the comfort of our homes. While much of this research is of the "hypothesis generating" type, it is still useful and stimulates discussion.

There are very, very few Robert Elgoods in this world who can devote a substantial portion of their professional careers to Indian Arms and Armor.

Ian.

25th September 2018, 10:01 PM	#12
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,029	Hi marius, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this fascinating topic. What you describe is typical of ethnographic research--boots on the ground, filling copious notebooks with data, immersed in the culture, etc ... However, there are other legitimate research efforts that are less demanding on time and resources. For example, reading scholarly works and historical accounts adds to our understanding of what others have seen and may be the only practical way of assessing changes over time. Current local informants are not always the most accurate source of information, and historical trends and records are not always preserved accurately within their original cultures. The internet has certainly expanded our access to knowledge such that some research can be done from the comfort of our homes. While much of this research is of the "hypothesis generating" type, it is still useful and stimulates discussion. There are very, very few Robert Elgoods in this world who can devote a substantial portion of their professional careers to Indian Arms and Armor. Ian.