Beyond Observation

A comprehensive history of ethnographic film since cinema began in 1895. It shows how the genre evolved out of reportage, exotic melodrama and travelogues prior to the Second World War into a more academic form of documentary in the post-war period.

First Published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Wiegner's work belongs to Polish analytical philosophy, but it falls outside of its main current, the Lvov-Warsaw School, which was influenced by Hume's ideas, Wiegner, influenced by neo-Kantianism, developed a non-Humean conception of holistic empiricism, which anticipates some of the ideas of K.R. Popper and W.V.O. Quine. Some of his ideas remain original to this day.His main research interests included epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science especially philosophy of psychology, analytical history of philosophy, interpretation of traditional logic in terms of mathematical logic.

Combines text, videotaped exercises and photographs to provide readers with the means to improve their perceptual ability and powers of observation of human life through the medium of movement.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Beyond Observation is structured by the argument that the ‘ethnographicness’ of a film should not be determined by the fact that it is about an exotic culture – the popular view – nor because it has apparently not been authored – a long-standing academic view – but rather because it adheres to the norms of ethnographic practice more generally. On these grounds, the book covers a large number of films made in a broad range of styles across a 120-year period, from the Arctic to Africa, from the cities of China to rural Vermont. Paul Henley discusses films made within reportage, exotic melodrama and travelogue genres in the period before the Second World War, as well as more conventionally ethnographic films made for academic or state-funded educational purposes. The book explores the work of film-makers such as John Marshall, Asen Balikci, Ian Dunlop and Timothy Asch in the post-war period, considering ideas about authorship developed by Jean Rouch, Robert Gardner and Colin Young. It also discusses films authored by indigenous subjects themselves using the new video technology of the 1970s and the ethnographic films that flourished on British television until the 1990s. In the final part of the book, Henley examines the recent work of David and Judith MacDougall and the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab, before concluding with an assessmentof a range of films authored in a participatory manner as possible future models.

Observation helps social workers and students to reflect upon situations before intervening. The Tavistock Model of Observation, which is informed by psychoanalytic ideas (especially those of Klein and Bion) is the starting point of this general book on the role of observation in social work. Karen Tanner and Pat Le Riche have brought together a range of contributions from practitioners and social work academics in order to discuss the application of ideas about observation to social work education and practice. While the Tavistock Model remains influential, the writers draw on material from a number of other disciplines, such as behavioural ethnography, psychology and critical social policy, on observation and social work. The central theme of the book is that of power relations. The authors focus on power in relation to the process of observation, and how observation can be used to counteract oppressive and dehumanising practices. Clearly and perceptively written, the book develops the debate on the purposes of observation and provides an overview of current practice. It will be of use to students and professionals alike.

This fully-updated second edition of Learning Through Child Observation is a handbook for professionals working in, or students preparing to work in, children's services. This accessible text examines the value of observation, its use in assessment and the practical aspects and methods of observational study. The author focuses on the importance of fully recognising the child's developmental and emotional state when intervening, and the need to see children `holistically' and as unique individuals within the wider context of the family and community. New chapters include Views of Children and Childhood, which draws on European educational and sociological perspectives and highlights the contrasting views of children, and The 'Hundred Languages of Children', which considers the place of creative engagement and multiple forms of expression by children. With new material and updated chapters, this second edition of a popular text will appeal to students and professionals in all children's services, whether in pre-school, schools, social care, mental health or health settings.

This fully updated third edition of Learning Through Child Observation is a handbook for professionals working in, or students preparing to work in, children's services. This accessible text examines the value of observation, its use in assessment and the practical aspects and methods of observational study. The authors focus on the importance of fully recognising the child's developmental and emotional state when intervening, and the need to see children 'holistically' and as unique individuals within the wider context of the family and community. This new edition reflects updates to policy and practice and further develops the critical perspective on contemporary thinking about childhood and observational methods. This edition has also expanded its focus to include observation of primary-aged children. A popular text, it will appeal to students and professionals in all children's services, whether in pre-school, schools, social care, mental health or health settings.