Vol. 27, No. 2, Spring 2005 31 PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGY By Michael Paolisso T he papers in this issue represent the tremendous ethnographic potential that exists in our discipline at the level of students seeking Master’s degrees in applied anthropology. While the time frame on which these papers is based is much shorter than equivalent PhD level ethnography, and thus the extent and depth of information collected is restricted, and the theoretical and methodological sophistication is un- derstandably not as developed as what one expects from a PhD level project, the work presented in these papers represents, with great clarity and direct- ness, many of the principal strengths and potentials of applied ethnography. These are papers to be read not so much for their findings or methodological refinements, but because they remind us of the breadth and potential for ethnog- raphy, undertaken with enthusiasm and commitment. Let me cite a few specific examples of what even the most sea- soned ethnographer can walk away with after reading the papers in this volume. First, the work presented here contin- ues an important tradition and principle in applied anthropology of giving voice to marginalized or disenfranched communities: transgender sex workers, Latino and Sierra Leonean immigrants, poor and black residents of Baltimore, and those on the wrong side of the digi- tal divide. In all the papers, the Master’s level anthropologist is prioritizing the cultural perceptions, beliefs and values of individuals and communities that are of interest to health and development policies and programs. The papers indi- vidually and as a group make it crystal clear that our programmatic interests and concepts often do not align very well with the complexity and reality of the targeted groups. Despite our best USES OF APPLIED ETHNOGRAPHY BY MASTER’S LEVEL STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS intentions to integrate cultural knowl- edge into disaster relief, to enhance the nutritional status of poor, urban resi- dents, to provide HIV/AIDs prevention to transgender sex workers, to help Latino and Sierra Leonean immigrants access health care, etc., we rarely acknowledge that we understand very little about the complexity of culture and behavior of the groups we seek to help. Fortunately, we have our students- turned-Master’s level anthropologists to remind us that we need to listen more and assume less. And what should these new anthropologists be telling us? They need repeatedly to hammer home the point that our academic, health, commu- nity development, environment and gen- der concepts are best used as a beginning point for our applied work. All the papers demonstrate in clear and unpretentious ways that people we study and try to help have their own ideas about the factors that influence their decisions about ac- cessing health, food stores, the internet, and HIV/AIDs prevention services. We applied anthropologists take it as a given that we need the emic voices in our policies and programs. The real chal- lenge is to convince other professionals with similar programmatic interests that we are able to provide reliable, valid and systematic insights on community views and values, and that such cultural knowledge is essential for programs to meet their goals and objectives. These papers demonstrate the ap- plication of different ethnographic approaches, combining an impressive array of specific methods. We have GIS integrated with interviews and partici- pant observation; paired comparisons to produce rank order data combined with descriptive findings from survey research; participatory/voluntary advo- cacy providing the broader context for Michael Paolisso