On the whole, I associate Dumbarton Oaks with the latter approach. In different ways, all approaches involve relating the general and the specific and all involve tradeoffs of depths and kinds of information.
Sociocultural familiarity influences the choice of approach.
The more we know, or think we know, about a given society, culture or location, the more shared social background we may take for granted and the less we may inquire about the meanings of fundamental concepts, the nature of nature, for example. My presentation will involve one such situation, that of African Americans in the southeastern United States from the mid-19th through the early 20th century who lived on the same land where they and their forebears had formerly labored as slaves of European American planters. In conclusion, we will see how this stance has also informed the design of contemporary gardens and yards. Grey Gundaker is Assistant Professor of American Studies and Anthropology at the College of William and Mary. She received an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in sociocultural anthropology.