ETHNOGRAPHY

Ethno: people or folk; Graphy: describe

something Aim
= Ethnography: describing and understanding
another way of life from the native point of view History
(Neuman, 2007)

Methodology

Examples

Strengths &
Weaknesses

Historical-Comparative
Research
What is an Ethnography?
It documents
routine daily lives
of people
(Fetterman,1998)
Explores a cultural
group
Lives with people,
or spends a lot of
time with them
Has a guiding
question that
evolves during the
study (Hall, 2003)
Where is it Used?

Cultural
Anthropology
Sociology
Business
Organizational
Psychology
 Aim of Ethnography

Aim Unobtrusive

Identifies geographical
and temporal coordinates

Makes visible lives of

those not normally told
(Williams, 2000)

Tries to obtain insider’s

view of how a group
manages and organizes
their time (Viller, 2004)

Understands the point

of view from inside the
group (McCleverty, 1997)
Aim To identify behavior
patterns and
anticipate; to make
the reader
understand the
perspective of the
native to the culture
studied (Fetterman,
1998)

Understand context,
complexity, and
politics of social
processes (Warren,
2004)
 History of
Anthropology/Ethnography (USA)
Morgan
Lawyer and
anthropologist
In 1851 he published
an ethnography
about Indians in the
USA.
History of Anthropology (United
Kingdom)
The first ethnographies
in Britain were
published in 1898-
1899. They were built
on field research like
we know it today
Malinowski
Considered the father
of modern
anthropology
Wrote numerous
ethnographies that are
well known still today
Sir Frazer about Malinowski’s Methods

Malinowski’s work was done

under the best conditions and
provided the best possible
results at that time
Good theoretical training
Stayed with the natives for a
great time
Lived as a native among natives
Watched them daily at work and
at play
Had conversations with them in
their own language
Derived information from
personal observation
Statements directly by the
natives
Characteristics of Malinowski’s
method (Malinowski, 1922)
Malinowski´s Methods
“I consider that only such
ethnographic sources are
of unquestionable scientific
value, in which we can
clearly draw the line
between, on the one hand,
the results of direct
observations and on the
other hand, the inferences
of the author, based on his
common sense and
psychological insight”
(Malinowski, 1922, p. 3)
Malinowski - Important for
Ethnographic Work:
Accurate information
Complex information
Observation
Speaking the native
language is important
No contact with white people
Seek information naturally,
instead of having informants
Should have a strong
theoretical background
Join yourself with the natives
Typical ways of thinking and
feeling
Use the native language as
an instrument (Malinowski,
1922)
Evans-Pritchard´s Methodology
Malinowski´s student
Did research 1926-1930
1930 published his ethnography
“Witchcraft, oracles, and magic
among the Azande”
Used informants
Native language
Length of stay 1-2 years
Get to know natives through the
children
Live like the natives (Evans-
Pritchard, 1988)
1950s-1980s: Ethnography as “thick
description” (Clifford Geertz)
Culture based
Meaning oriented. Meaning is
“a set of culturally constructed
and historically specific guides,
frames, or models of and for
human feeling, intention, and
action” (Ortner 1999: 137)
Specific to time and place (i.e.
cultural relativism)
Opposed to power and politics.
“[C]ulture is not power,
something to which social
events, behaviours,
institutions, or processes can
be causally attributed; it is a
context, something within
which they can be intelligibly-
that is, thickly-described”(
Geertz 1973:14)
Opposed to the “thin
description” of post-positivism
 Outline of Process
Methodology
Identifying
problem or topic of
interest
Fieldwork – Data
collection and
analysis
Participant
Observation –
Individuals and
groups
Analysis – Holistic
Report (Fetterman,
1998)
 Characteristics of
Methodology Ethnographies
Holistic
Data collection
and analysis
occur together
Data collection
oscillates
between
individuals and
groups (Fetterman,
1998)
Negotiate Access
Methodology
Fieldwork (Morse and
Richards, 2002),
(Fetterman, 1998)

Stages
Negotiating entry– the
Gatekeeper, Key Actors,
Key Informants
Introductory period –
routines, roles,
relationships
Participatory observation–
important! (Hall, 2003)
Methodology Fieldwork Methods

Selection and sampling

Participant observation
Interviewing
Autobiographical
interviewing
Questionnaires
Existing documented
information
Notes, notes, notes!!!
(Fetterman, 1998)
 Analysis
Methodology Evaluating relevance
Looking for patterns
Considering
phenomena through
the cultural
perspective
“Thick description”
(Morse and
Richards, 2002)
Classifications,
parameters, etic
observations
Maps, drawings,
charts (Fetterman,
1998)
Methodology A few words on
writing…
Writing must be
good from the
field notes to the
final product
Write for your
audience
Write for the
objective – to
make the etic
perspective see
the emic
perspective
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
In-Depth understanding of a
culture amongst a group of
people (detailed and more
likely valid interpretations)
Gives a voice to a culture to
express their views, which
might not otherwise be heard
Influential in creating an
understanding among
outsiders
Also may reveal embedded
cultural values that were not
obvious to the group
Advantages and Disadvantages
Disadvantages:
Cumbersome and Time-
consuming, and can be
expensive
Possibility that researcher is
changing the natural way a
culture behaves by being
present
Not really able to generalize
findings
Inappropriate for analyzing
complex environmental
problems whose cause-
effect relationships are
external to the place and
time of study (e.g., climate
change)
Difficulty of reconciling
constructive engagement
with critical reflection