歷史人類學者走向田野，不只為了收集文獻，更重要的目的，是在田野的經驗下去了解文獻。田野的經驗，令他們知道歷史上大部分的人都不識字，所以需要應用文獻以外的辦法去了解沒有文獻的人的歷史。這些辦法包括口述傳說、物質文化以及尤其重要的禮儀演繹。通過諸多途徑重構的制度史，不單是皇朝的法令，還包括民間怎樣利用和引申皇朝的法令而建立的種種關系。但是，歷史人類學不能停留在個別鄉村的考察，需要通過不同地點、不同環境的地方比較，才可以得到廣闊的視野。歷史人類學也不應該只關注皇朝的時代，二十世紀的歷史有很多地方值得利用歷史人類學的取向去補充。歷史人類學需要讓歷史學者知道文獻之外有活的社會，讓人類學者知道社會有活的歷史。

Historical anthropologists go to the field，not only to collect documents，but to read their documents against the setting of their field experience.From their field experience，they know that for most of the time the majority of the population was illiterate，and so they realize that they must go beyond their documents to understand the people who are not covered in them.They can resort to legends handed down orally，material remains，and，especially ritual performances.Through these multiple approaches，they reconstruct an institutional history that goes beyond imperial laws to incorporate the many means by which local societies manipulate and extend the laws.Nevertheless，historical anthropology must not stop at village studies.A comparative approach is needed to provide for a broad perspective.Historical anthropology should also not be limited to only the imperial period，as many areas in twentieth-century history need to be supplemented by its field work.Historical anthropology should be making historians realize there is living society outside their documents，and anthropologists appreciate that there is living history in society.