Mallika S Sarma1, Theresa E Gildner2, Michaela E Howells3, Sheina Lew-Levy4,5, Benjamin C Trumble6,7, Agustín Fuentes8. 1. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 2. Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. 3. Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. 4. Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. 5. Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 6. School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA. 7. Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA. 8. Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Leaving "home" to pursue fieldwork is a necessity but also a rite of passage for many biological anthropology/human biology scholars. Field-based scientists prepare for the potential changes to activity patterns, sleep schedules, social interactions, and more that come with going to the field. However, returning from extended fieldwork and the reverse-culture shock, discomforts, and mental shifts that are part of the return process can be jarring, sometimes traumatic experiences. A failure to acknowledge and address such experiences can compromise the health and wellbeing of those returning. AIMS: We argue for an engaged awareness of the difficult nature of returning from the field and offer suggestions for individuals and programs to better train and prepare PhD students pursuing fieldwork. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here, we offer personal stories of "coming back" and give professional insights on how to best ready students and scholars for returning from fieldwork. DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSION: By bringing forward and normalizing the difficulty of the fieldwork-return process, we hope that this reflection acts as a tool for future scholars to prepare to come home as successfully and consciously as possible.
BACKGROUND: Leaving "home" to pursue fieldwork is a necessity but also a rite of passage for many biological anthropology/human biology scholars. Field-based scientists prepare for the potential changes to activity patterns, sleep schedules, social interactions, and more that come with going to the field. However, returning from extended fieldwork and the reverse-culture shock, discomforts, and mental shifts that are part of the return process can be jarring, sometimes traumatic experiences. A failure to acknowledge and address such experiences can compromise the health and wellbeing of those returning. AIMS: We argue for an engaged awareness of the difficult nature of returning from the field and offer suggestions for individuals and programs to better train and prepare PhD students pursuing fieldwork. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here, we offer personal stories of "coming back" and give professional insights on how to best ready students and scholars for returning from fieldwork. DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSION: By bringing forward and normalizing the difficulty of the fieldwork-return process, we hope that this reflection acts as a tool for future scholars to prepare to come home as successfully and consciously as possible.