The Anthropologist in a Strange Land

The use of ethnography as a methodology in public policy research required negotiation of a complex contract between the federal government and a research firm employing anthropologists to conduct the research. Because of the complexity of this methodology, the presence of an interdisciplinary research team, the objectives of the federal government for this research, and lack of any major precedent, the achievement of a negotiated agreement acceptable to all parties involved resolution of many important issues. Future applications of ethnographies to social research conducted under federal sponsorship will face similar concerns. Key issues involved in this negotiation are discussed, followed by presentation of the contractual agreement itself.