"Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study."
A brief overview of how ethnography as a discipline started and how it has evolved over time.
Definition of Ethnography: Ethnography is a research method used to study social and cultural aspects of human groups and communities. It involves close observation, interviews, and fieldwork to understand the social dynamics of a group.
Historical context of Ethnography: Ethnography has a long history and has been practiced in different parts of the world. It has evolved over time, reflecting changes in social and cultural contexts, as well as advances in technology and research methods.
Philosophy of Ethnography: Ethnography is guided by certain principles, such as the need for participant observation, the importance of context, and the value of subjective experience. These principles are based on philosophical ideas about knowledge, truth, and interpretation.
Key Figures in Ethnography: There are many noted ethnographers who have made significant contributions to the field, such as Bronislaw Malinowski, Clifford Geertz, Marcel Mauss, and Franz Boas. Learning about their work can help to understand the evolution of ethnography and its theoretical underpinnings.
Types of Ethnographic Research: Ethnography can be conducted in various settings, such as urban or rural communities, workplaces, schools, and religious or cultural institutions. These settings require different research methods and approaches.
Ethnographic Data Collection: Ethnographers use a variety of methods to collect data, including observation, interviews, surveys, and archival research. Each method has its strengths and limitations, and understanding them is important for conducting rigorous research.
Analyzing Ethnographic Data: Once the data is collected, it is important to analyze it rigorously to understand the social dynamics of the group under study. This involves coding, categorizing, and interpreting the data to identify patterns and themes.
Ethical Considerations in Ethnography: Ethnography involves working closely with human subjects, and it is important to respect their privacy and rights. Ethical considerations include obtaining informed consent, protecting participant confidentiality, and avoiding harm.
Applications of Ethnography: Ethnography has practical applications in fields such as anthropology, sociology, education, and business. Understanding how ethnography is used in different contexts can help to identify potential career paths and research opportunities.
Critical Issues in Ethnography: There are ongoing debates and controversies surrounding ethnography, such as the role of the researcher's identity and subjectivity, the ethics of representing other cultures, and the challenges of obtaining accurate and reliable data. Understanding these issues can help to conduct ethical and rigorous research.
Colonial Ethnography: The study of ethnic groups by early colonizers, missionaries, and explorers.
Salvage Ethnography: The documentation of disappearing cultures before they disappear.
Participant Observation: The study of a particular culture, by living among and experiencing the life of the people in the culture to gain a better understanding of their beliefs and values.
Feminist Ethnography: A study that highlights women's experiences in a particular culture and its unique effects on them.
Life-history Ethnography: This entails interviewing one or more individuals about their life experiences to understand the culture they come from.
Multi-ethnic Ethnography: The study of ethnic groups that are in dialogue with one another, intersecting, and changing over time.
Autoethnography: The study of oneself as a cultural subject and a participant in cultural practices.
Visual Ethnography: The study of visual and image-based culture, such as film or photography, and their role in social meaning and communication.
Historical Ethnography: How certain cultures have evolved over time.
Comparative Ethnography: This compares cultures and analyzes similarities and differences.
Critical Ethnography: This highlights issues of power and social inequality in ethnographic data.
Collaborative Ethnography: Working with members of the community being studied to co-create knowledge and build understanding.
Humanistic Ethnography: This focuses on the individual experience and subjective interpretation.
Linguistic Ethnography: The study of language and communication across cultures.
Postmodern Ethnography: This acknowledges the biases and subjectivity present in ethnographic data, and seeks to deconstruct and critique it.
Virtual Ethnography: The study of online communities and their cultures for understanding their practices.
Applied Ethnography: The use of ethnographic methods to understand and address real-world problems in the form of policy or product design.
Ethnomusicology: The study of music and its role in cultural identity and cultural expression in specific groups.
Ethnobotany: This is the study of plant use and knowledge systems in different cultures.
Ethnohistory: The study of a culture’s history by understanding its own mythology and literature.
"Ethnography is [...] a type of social research that involves examining the behavior of the participants in a given social situation and understanding the group members' own interpretation of such behavior."
"Ethnography relies heavily on participant observation—on the researcher participating in the setting or with the people being studied, at least in some marginal role, and seeking to document, in detail, patterns of social interaction and the perspectives of participants."
"It had its origin in social and cultural anthropology in the early twentieth century, but spread to other social science disciplines, notably sociology, during the course of that century."
"Ethnographers mainly use qualitative methods, though they may also employ quantitative data."
"The typical ethnography is a holistic study and so includes a brief history, and an analysis of the terrain, the climate, and the habitat."
"A wide range of groups and organizations have been studied by this method, including traditional communities, youth gangs, religious cults, and organizations of various kinds."
"While, traditionally, ethnography has relied on the physical presence of the researcher in a setting, there is research using the label that has relied on interviews or documents, sometimes to investigate events in the past such as the NASA Challenger disaster."
"There is also a considerable amount of 'virtual' or online ethnography, sometimes labeled netnography or cyber-ethnography."
"Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study."
"Ethnography relies heavily on participant observation—on the researcher participating in the setting or with the people being studied."
"Ethnography seeks to document, in detail, patterns of social interaction and the perspectives of participants, and to understand these in their local contexts."
"Ethnography had its origin in social and cultural anthropology but spread to other social science disciplines, notably sociology."
"A wide range of groups and organizations have been studied by this method, including traditional communities, youth gangs, religious cults, and organizations of various kinds."
"There is research using the label that has relied on interviews or documents, sometimes to investigate events in the past such as the NASA Challenger disaster."
"The typical ethnography is a holistic study and so includes a brief history, and an analysis of the terrain, the climate, and the habitat."
"There is also a considerable amount of 'virtual' or online ethnography, sometimes labeled netnography or cyber-ethnography."
"Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study."
"Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study."
"Ethnographers mainly use qualitative methods, though they may also employ quantitative data."