Why Do Ethnography, When There's So Much Space Psychology?

This question is quite common and also very valid. Essentially, it asks about the distinction between psychology and anthropology. While all social sciences collaborate, they concentrate on various facets of human nature and employ different methodologies. Psychology, in its simplest form, delves into the internal mechanisms of the mind and the cognitive processes that influence individuals' thoughts and behaviors. It is generally more rigorous than other social sciences, frequently conducting experiments and developing specific conceptual frameworks rather than broad theories.

Anthropology, especially sociocultural anthropology (my area of expertise), focuses on the culture that forms among different groups of people in specific settings and how individuals position themselves within it. Migration anthropology (my specialization) examines the effects of people moving between groups, locations, and cultures, sometimes leading to the creation or loss of new identities. While we occasionally employ quantitative techniques such as surveys and census canvassing for exploratory purposes, our primary approach involves qualitative methods like interviews and participant observation, which are conducted less rigidly (although still structured) to uncover emerging insights.

Can they communicate with each other? Certainly! However, they can also access information that the other cannot. For instance, in different scenarios, a psychological study on homeless communities might involve surveying the individuals in these communities to gather data on how their living conditions affect their cognition, responses to trauma, and so on. On the other hand, an anthropologist would immerse themselves in the community, living among the members for an extended period, fully integrating into the community, and engaging in many informal yet insightful conversations. Philippe Bourgois conducted a similar study, if you're interested. He also undertook similar research with drug runners/addicts.

Anthropologists gather significant insights from the interaction between individuals familiar with a culture and those who are not, utilizing both firsthand encounters and non-verbal cues.

After returning to my research, I have come across numerous psychological studies conducted on astronauts. These studies focus on examining mental resilience, isolation, resistance to authority, experiencing "the overview effect," and other cognitive changes that are highly relevant to my own research. What I am trying to explore is the significance of isolating astronauts from their individual cultures and the broader culture of Earth, and placing them in an environment where they are under immense pressure to establish a new culture, particularly due to the constant threat they face.

While we have a general understanding of the potential outcomes of isolation when individuals are relocated to Mars, it is important to note that cultural adaptation is not a simple replication process in a new environment. Migration studies on Earth have shown that the journey itself significantly influences the societal dynamics of the migrating populations. As these societies evolve in the new cultural setting, individuals also transform their self-perception in response to these cultural shifts.

An analogy that can help illustrate this process is comparing it to university or the military. In both scenarios, individuals from diverse backgrounds converge in a new environment. They engage in various activities that challenge their existing perceptions of the world and their roles within it (such as drills, clubs, classes, or interpersonal interactions). Subsequently, they emerge from these experiences with a transformed sense of self and their position in society (as graduates or soldiers). These transformative experiences are commonly referred to as rituals, specifically rites of passage. When a collective undertakes these rituals together and forges a profound connection that influences each other's personal growth (similar to what may occur among astronauts), it is known as communitas. Unlike the well-structured and systematic processes found in the military and universities, journeys, especially those of great magnitude like displacement or space travel, lack such organization and are often shrouded in mystery.

Considering all of this, we can begin to grasp the role of anthropology in relation to and in harmony with other social sciences, and how my research can enhance our comprehension of evolving identities due to migration, whether on Earth or in space.