Ethnography put to good use: researching the virtually human Boellstorff, Tom. (2008) Coming of Age in Second Life. An Anthropologist Explores Second Life. Princeton University Press
Journal Title: Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology - Year 2010, Vol 1, Issue 2
Abstract
Talk and debate about the Internet and virtual communities seem to be ubiquitous. If not a reflection of trends and fashions in social inquiry, comprising an “online dimension” in research designs equates with keeping up with wider cultural transformations. Challenging both the utopias of cyberhype and the bitter dystopias of cyperdismissal about technological development and humanity, Tom Boellstorff’s book, Coming of Age in Second Life (CASL), is a particularly suited read for those in search of an invigorating approach to studying the online. Simultaneously, its peculiarity lies in being a comprehensive ethnographic portrait of virtual worlds. A timely breakthrough, the book brings ethnography into the study of virtual worlds “in their own terms”. Controversially as it might sound, Boellstorff conducts fieldwork entirely in Second Life, complying with classical anthropology prerequisites of having extended experience among the people anthropologists write about. Thus, it employs participant observation to go beyond pinpointing the sensational of online activities, like cross-gendering, sexual debauchery, non-normative sexual encounters, or depictions of people making money and transferring it to the actual world. Tightly articulated with classical anthropological theory, Boellstorff engages with the everyday lives of residents in Second Life, aiming to understand the cultural logics of virtual worlds. He frames his inquiry with classical anthropological texts, opening the ethnographic expose in a Malinowski-like manner that transposes the reader to the “world” under focus.
Authors and Affiliations
Simona Ciotlăuş
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