It was once thought that we could "objectively" observe and analyze other cultures and societies and draw clear conclusions about their nature and structure. With the revolution which has occurred in the philosophy of science in which "objectivity" is even denied to physical sciences, the possibility of an "objective" social science is now seen as beyond reach. Ethnographic studies are now recognized as a more or less subjective observation of a foreign culture as seen through a prism the observer's own culture, life experience and training. In this study, Dr. Mark is continuing her examination of ethnographic studies of the Mbuti pygmies of the Ituri Forest of Zaire. Specifically she is concentrating on the life and work of one of these observers, P.T.L. Putnam (1904-1953) and two of his contemporaries, Paul Schebesta and Colin Turnbull. The study is based on Dr. Mark's examination of Putnam's personal papers and field notes, on interviews with people who knew him, and on extensive library research. She will use this detailed examination of Putnam in order to compare his work with that of Schebesta and Turnbull. Through this comparison she will then be able to examine how differing national traditions in anthropology, differing ethnographic goals, and differing personal quests affect fieldwork and the writing of ethnographies. This study promises to make significant contributions to the history of anthropology, to our understanding of the nature of ethnography, and to the sociology of knowledge in general.
