Hunter vs. Gatherer
When I first hear this I would assume someone is talking about a time long, long ago when men were described as hunters because they went into the world with a strong sense of purpose and direction, and form deliberate strategies and technologies to kill his targets…
And when women were described as gatherers because they looked about widely making sense and use of the food he or she discovers by chance.
However, in an article I have recently read, “What is it we do when we write articles like this?” by Michael Klein, I was shown a next prospective of a hunter and gatherer. The article expressed that I could be a hunter and/or gather while I am conducting my own research.
Because a hunter finds what they are looking for and gatherers discovers something that may or may not be useful, I understand why researchers can be categorized as hunters and gatherers, especially with regards to my archival research. In my own research, I would be considered a hunter when I searched for keywords, topic-based tables, opinions, questions, trends, and drafted a paper. On the other hand, when I tried to find background sources, just read random articles, looked at big conversation ideas, and outlined my writing process, I would be considered a gatherer.
I think Klein’s ideas truly align with every researchers process, including my own. I would not say I am solely a hunter or solely a gatherer, but rather that I sometimes represent the role of a hunter and other times I embody the role of a gatherer. And personally, I think it is better that I can illustrate both qualities rather than just one of them.
You get the both of both worlds!