In contrast to research conducted in laboratories through written materials, folkloristics and ethnography require field research in order to truly witness and collect their objects of study. Especially in folkloristics, it is important to go to the actual region and listen to the stories directly from the mouths of the people there.
Such on-site field research is called fieldwork.
The need for fieldwork arose as Europeans gradually turned their attention to the outside world, as they realized that the world was not only Europe during the Age of Discovery.
This interest prompted many exploratory trips in the late 18th century, which gradually led to fieldwork in the late 19th century.
Later, in 1914, Malinowski, a Polish-born British scholar, conducted field research in the Trobriand Islands of New Guinea. He was forced to spend two years there due to World War I, during which time he mastered the local language, conducted thorough research, and achieved significant results.
It is said that this event demonstrated the importance of fieldwork and greatly influenced subsequent studies.
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