The Observation of Savage Peoples - Classic Guide to Field Methods

In this review of The Observation of Savage Peoples, Joseph-Marie Degerando's short but influential memoir is recommended for students and readers interested in the origins of modern fieldwork. Written in 1800 as guidance for an expedition, the book lays out deliberate, systematic techniques that contrast with the casual notes of earlier explorers. The single biggest reason to read it today is its historical role in shaping how anthropologists think about observation and method, making it essential reading for anyone studying the development of social science research.

Key Features

• Historical significance: The book documents the earliest clear articulation of fieldwork practices and shows how inquiry methods were formalized for scientific observation.
• Practical guidance: Degerando lists concrete topics and approaches for observers to follow, offering a step-by-step ethos for disciplined note-taking during expeditions.
• Critical perspective: The memoir explicitly criticizes casual observations by previous explorers, encouraging rigor and attention to detail in future studies.
• Concise format: As a focused memorandum rather than a sprawling treatise, it provides a clear, readable blueprint for observational work without unnecessary digression.
• Contextual value: Written for members of the Societe des Observateurs de l'Homme, the text is rooted in the real-world planning of an expedition, which grounds its recommendations in practice.

Who It's For

This book is best suited to anthropology students, historians of science, and readers interested in methodological origins who want a primary-source statement of early field methods. It is useful for classroom discussion, historiography projects, or anyone tracing how systematic observation became central to social inquiry.

Readers looking for a modern how-to manual, step-by-step contemporary ethnographic techniques, or an extensive survey of cultures should look elsewhere, since the work is a historical memorandum rather than a comprehensive modern textbook.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clarifies early principles that underpin contemporary ethnographic method and shows the shift from casual to systematic observation.
• Provides actionable topics and advice for observers planning field expeditions, making it historically practical.
• Concise and focused, which makes the core ideas easy to extract and discuss in academic settings.

Cons

• Being a historical memoir, it does not cover modern ethical standards or recent methodological developments.

Specifications

Title	The Observation of Savage Peoples
Author / Brand	Joseph-Marie Degerando
Original memo date	1800
Purpose	Guidance for members of the Societe des Observateurs de l'Homme
Focus	Methods and topics for observation during expeditions
First modern edition noted	1969

Our Verdict

The Observation of Savage Peoples is a valuable historical document for students and scholars who want to understand how systematic observation entered anthropological practice. Its clear recommendations and critique of casual reporting make it a good value for courses on methodology or the history of social science, though readers seeking up-to-date field techniques will need supplemental modern texts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a modern field manual?
Answer. No, it is a historical memorandum from 1800 that sets out early principles rather than contemporary procedures.

Who wrote the guidance and why?
Answer. Joseph-Marie Degerando wrote it for the Societe des Observateurs de l'Homme to prepare members for an expedition and to improve the quality of observations compared with earlier accounts.

Does the book include practical observation topics?
Answer. Yes, Degerando lists specific topics and methods to guide observers on what to record and how to approach inquiry in the field.