Friends, Relatives, and Relevant Others: Conducting Ethnographic Network Studies

There is a Spanish proverb that states, "Di me con quien andan, y dire quien eres," which generally translates as "Tell me who you walk with, and I will tell you who you are." We all reflect our values and beliefs, as well as our hopes and accomplishments, through the people with whom we choose to associate and those whom we avoid. Our social world is made up primarily of our family and friends, work partners, acquaintances, and the organizations and communities in which we participate. Anthropologists have studied the composition of these relationships, or social networks, in villages, towns, and urban centers all over the world. Social scientists most frequently