Culture Beyond the Petri Dish

I try, I really do. I try not to take a dislike to an author (or in this case, a team of authors) based on my first impression, but Lauer and Asher are pushing me this time. Quick Ratio--

Advantages of Ethnographies: .5 pages
Difficulties and Problems: 2.25 pages

Puuuuuuuh-leeeze! Just to be fair, I quick checked a random, unread chapter. It held "cautions" but no section on disadvantages. The vast majority of the problems they discuss (first impresions, confidence in judgment, novelty of info) can be summed up as "Hey, don't assume, pay attention to the data!" I appreciate the explicit recognition, but by piling them up--and allotting that much space--I could do without the tone. I get the impression that if it isn't in a lab, it's lucky to be accepted as preliminary research.

On the other appendage, there's some Moss build-up. She personalizes and illustrates when and how she dealt with each difficult while studying her own community. This insight and example offered ways to overcome the problems that can arise from familiarity; she even points out that remaining open-minded is a challenge for teachers in their own classrooms. And there is the key. Objectivity is unattainable, open-mindedness is not.