Ethnography

Definition

Ethnography is a broad concept that spreads its fingers into every part of the Anthropological approach. At its simplest, ethnography is the practice of understanding and recording the way of life of a particular group of people. Yet on a larger scale, a definition of ethnography and what it looks like is much more difficult. According to John Brewer in his book Ethnography, "Ethnography is not one particular method of data collection but a style of research that is distinguished by its objectives…and its approach." The practice of ethnography separates itself from other research methods by emphasizing qualitative analysis as opposed to quantitative analysis.

One of the biggest distinctive features of ethnography is how hands-on it is. It is essential that ethnography be done while the anthropologist is engaged in and a part of the culture they are studying. The ethnographer doesn't study a culture from the outside, but instead seeks to understand the culture as an insider would this is called having an emic (Ee-mick) perspective. Sociologists Paul Atkinson and Martyn Hammersley in their article Ethnography and Participant Observation say that ethnography has "a strong emphasis on exploring the nature of particular social phenomena, rather than setting out to test hypotheses about them." An anthropologist who seeks to undertake an ethnographic approach must be prepared to get involved in the culture they are studying. They must become a part of it so that they can produce organic research without an ethnocentric bias.

When applying ethnography, anthropologists should conduct ethnographic studies at the beginning of their research. These studies are very useful in determining existing conditions and help set the course for any events that may occur. Ethnography has the advantage of helping anthropologists analyze unexpected moments or behaviors, but they also have a disadvantage in that the spontaneity of situations may not paint the clearest picture of a culture. Still, ethnography can greatly help anthropologists analyze cultures with little perception or bias. Raw accounts are very useful in determining how a society functions. This advice comes from Ben Logan, who wrote When and How to Use Ethnographic Research.

One of the unique challenges ethnographers face is embracing their writing skills and imagination while still maintaining scientific truth. Since they are writing about people who really live and have unique cultures, it is imperative the writer's report is accurate so that the culture is not twisted and ethnocentric, assuming one culture is better than others. Yet on the contrary, since they are dealing with people it is easy to get swept up in the story. Additionally, in an effort to make their writings engaging, some have strayed too far and lost the truth of the situation. Sociologist Laurel Richardson writes about this difficult balance in her article "Evaluating Ethnography": "Increasing, ethnographers desire to write ethnography which is both scientific—in the sense of being true to a world known through the empirical senses — and literary — in the sense of expressing what one has learned through evocative writing techniques and form." She goes on to talk about how this balance of scientific and literary excellence is essential to producing good ethnography.

Criticism of Ethnography (edit by Andrew Wilson)

When it comes to ethnographic research, scholars and those who read it must remember it is a human in an environment new to them, explaining the way of life of a group they never grew up with. Due to this, problems can exist that are inherit in how a foreigner describes the society of a group they are new to. These problems often come from that fact that the two societies are different, and the ethnographer will always be thinking in the mindset that is common to their own home. According to John Brewer, "The problem is that ethographers are unreflexive, in that they give no attention to the social processes that impinge upon and influence their data" (Brewer, 1994). These problems arise when the anthropologist begins to make conclusions about the group by only looking at a small data set; in other words, looking at one band and applying the conclusions to all members of the culture is not ethical. People are too different and unique to make those conclusions, yet in ethnographic writings, these warnings are very rarely put into writing.

Brewer states that if an ethnographer wants to remain ethical, two important steps should be added:

  1. Explain the setting and the underlying details

  2. Identify what is being studied, and also identify what will not be touched on

  3. Identify what factors will be brought to the research, and for what purpose the research is being done for.

  4. Establish the integrity of the researcher by detailing the education and the work of the ethnographer.

  5. Establish the authority of the data by discussing the problems of the research and detailing enough evidence for the reader to come to a conclusion.

  6. Demonstrate how everything being concluded is complex and not a simple puzzle being put together

Ethnographers will always be biased. But, being able to eliminate the bias helps makes the ethnographic have more authority and have more stability when talking about a culture or a people.

Brewer, John D. (1994) The ethnographic critique of ethnography: Sectarianism in the ruc. Sociology 28 (1), 231-244.

Learn More

https://anthropology.princeton.edu/programs/ethnographic-studies/what-ethnography https://www.discoveranthropology.org.uk/about-anthropology/fieldwork/ethnography.html https://hbr.org/2009/03/ethnographic-research-a-key-to-strategy https://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/ERCa.htm https://www.thoughtco.com/ethnography-definition-3026313

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOBh8haj4E0

Works Cited

Aktinson, Paul, & Hammersley, Martyn (1998). Ethnography and participant observation. Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry. Thousand Oaks: Sage Brewer, John (2000). Ethnography. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Ben, Logan (2009). When and How to Use Ethnographic Research. Spotless.co.uk Richardson, Laurel (2000). Evaluating ethnography. Qualitative inquiry.