Kenneth Good (anthropologist)

Kenneth Good (born 1942) is an American anthropologist known for his long-term fieldwork among the Yanomami people of Venezuela and Brazil, and for the controversy surrounding his personal life.

Good earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1968. He subsequently spent twelve years (from 1975 to 1987) living with and studying the Yanomami in the Amazon rainforest. During this period, he collected extensive ethnographic data, including kinship diagrams, geneological information, and observations of their social structure, rituals, and subsistence practices.

His work is documented in his book Into the Heart: One Man's Pursuit of Love and Knowledge Among the Yanomami (1991), co-authored with David Chanoff. The book details his research and immersion in Yanomami culture, as well as his relationships with the Yanomami people.

Good's personal life became a subject of considerable debate and ethical scrutiny when it was revealed that he had married a young Yanomami woman named Yarima and fathered children with her. Critics argued that his actions constituted an abuse of power and violated ethical principles governing anthropological research, particularly concerning informed consent, exploitation of vulnerable populations, and the potential impact of such relationships on Yanomami society. Defenders of Good argued that his actions reflected a genuine connection with Yarima and a commitment to Yanomami culture.

The controversy surrounding Good's marriage significantly impacted the field of anthropology, prompting renewed discussions and stricter guidelines regarding ethical considerations in long-term ethnographic research and the potential for power imbalances between researchers and their subjects. His case continues to be used in anthropology courses as a complex example of the ethical challenges inherent in fieldwork.