The name is absent

WJ Clancey — Visualizing Practical Knowledge

drawing a straight line between them. In fact, the geologist and physician are sharing this
log, taking turns at entering information. Now we realize something much more
important—not only are they taking turns, they are using the same general format for
entering information. Most likely the physician is following the geologist’s cues, for we
know from his camp introduction that he has never done fieldwork before. The
physician’s quick adoption of the format provides evidence that the pattern is not
idiosyncratic, but might be a useful template to supply in a computer-based tool.

Conceptual development and constraints in scientific fieldwork

It should now be apparent that ethnographic study of fieldwork includes very specific
details as well as the broad patterns of human interactions. An important broad pattern is
how people conceptualize their overall activity in the expedition—why are they at Devon
Island? What is their contribution? How does their work here relate to their larger goals,
tasks, and identity?

For example, if we asked the biologist when he was on a traverse, “What are you doing?”
he would refer to the particulars around him. He might say, “I’m excavating this lemming
burrow to see how it is connected.” This is commonly how we explain what we are
doing. But there are always broader, contextual conceptions that frame and shape what
we see, do, and say.

Besides being “on a traverse” we find that the biologist is “writing a paper”—a broader
activity that directs and orients his observations and thinking. He is organizing his day
and his attention during a traverse by considering the genre of a scientific article—the
genre of tables, maps, theories, typical descriptions, and broad frameworks. Rather than
just “gathering data,” the biologist is getting the information he needs to create a
comparative table of oases, to draw a map of oases distribution, to support a theory of
oases formation, and to describe a typical oasis. He is also considering broad themes that
his paper might address— “Polar Winter,” “Darkness of Impact,” “Biology of Impact
Craters.” He frames his observations in those terms and reminds himself to get additional
data to fill out these genre templates. After a week, he has not only the data he needs, but
knows the figure captions and title for his paper.

One might look at the biologist’s activity in several ways. From a non-scientist’s point of
view it might appear surprising. Is it too much oriented towards producing a publication?

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