Anthropologist-Parents as Researchers: A Critical Appreciation of 'Doing Fieldwork in China . . . With Kids!' by Cornet and Blumenfield

Abstract

This article is a review of a book that contains reflective accounts by western anthropologists who were accompanied by their children when they were conducting their anthropological fieldwork in rural China. The presence of the children resulted in unplanned interactions, leading to new data for their research. It also triggered new questions on the researchers’ cultural assumptions. Although set in the specific context of anthropological fieldwork, the reflective accounts can serve as useful learning material for early-stage researchers in many other fields.