Ethnography Flashcards
EXAM
What is ethnography (definition)
- is the systematic study of people and cultures.
- designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject
- to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group
- reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings
What ethnography means
Ethno = culture; graphy = writing
Immersive
Extended period of time
focused on a particular culture
What is Anthropology
- It is the scientific study of humans, past and present, that draws and builds upon knowledge from the social sciences, life sciences, and humanities.
- is the scientific study of what it means to be human
Interest of antropologist
– discovering when and where humans appeared on the earth,
– how and why they have changed since then,
– and how and why modern human populations var
Areas of study of antropology
holistic or multifaceted. Study not only all varieties of people but many aspects of human experience
Fields of Anthropology
BIological/physical
Cultural
Archaeology
Linguistics Ethnology
What is Physical/Biological Anthropology
about
Humans differ in their physical form
Examines the ways humans are biologically similar to and different from other animals
What is Linguistic Anthropology about
Humans have a unique communication system
How humans use language to communicate
The spread and transformation of language
Language acquisition & revitalization
What is Cultural Anthropology/Ethnology about
Humans act according to learned knowledge systems
Describes and analyzes the beliefs people have about their social and material worlds, and the ways these affect human action
customary ways of thinking and behaving of a particular population (religion, food,music, work)
What is Archaeology
Studies the ways humans manipulate their material environment
Examines material environment of past societies for clues about their lives to reconstruct the daily life and customs of peoples
To trace cultural changes
Types of Biological/physical Anthropology
– Primatology
– Human Evolution
paleontology /paleoanthropology.
studies the emergence of humans and their later evolution.
primatologists
Anthropologist, psychologists, and biologists who specialize in the study of primates are called
3 disciplines that Biological anthropologists use
- human genetics
- population biology
- epidemiology
Linguistics is somewhat older discipline than anthropology?
TRUE
Sociolinguistics
is the study of how language is used in social context.
A holistic approach includes
Cultural
Archaeology
Physical
Linguistic
Applied anthropology
application of method and theory in anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems.
Differences for linguistics and biological anthropology
linguistics may be applied to restoring language competence,
biological, or more specifically “medical” anthropology applied to determine the factors contributing to dietary deficiency diseases
Cultural marketing
A specific type of marketing that is geared towards promoting a message to a certain group of potential purchasers from a particular culture or demographic.
Areas of use of cultural marketing
Targeting a specific culture
Targeting a multi-cultural audience
Gerhard Friedrich Müller
developed the concept of ethnography as a separate discipline
Herodotus
known as the Father of History
Franz Boas’
cultural relativism: The most important concept for cultural anthropology
Meaning of cultural relativism
Each culture needs to be understood based on their own values – not the parameters from any other culture
Observational Methods Vs ethnographic research
Ethnographic/Anthropology research is defined based on the objective Links to a cultural research on human insights as part of a society.
Observational methods are a research TOOL, that can be used for gathering and learning on consumer behavior
Why ethnography is important
Different cultures have different answers
We humans meet basic needs in different ways
Anthropological Job Description
Recording and explaining cultural differences.
Strengths Ethnography
- collect current, reliable, complete and specific data to answer relevant Q on cultural aspects
- best source of data for comparative study and analysis
- extended period
- external validity of ethnographic study is generally high
Limitations Ethnography
- few cases or one case
- cannot be generalized /extrapolated
- Selecting information depends on the researcher
- need to make inferences
- fail to maintain neutrality /bias
When to place ethnographic research
Academic - Social sciences -Not alrealdy investigated -Within an existing theory Business -Need for deep human insights linked to culture -No existing previous research -Indicators of a potential conflict -In depth understanding
When NOT to place ethnographic research
- Linked to human insights that are universal
- linked to individual beliefs
- detail data needed on an experimental basis
- final stages of concept/product qualification
- decision is needed
Academic research
- Link to many other scientific areas
- main objective improve our understanding of a topic
- External and internal validity
Governmental research
- Normally linked to social services
- Understanding the needs of specific communities
Business examples
- R&D
- Marketing
- Sales
methods of ethnography
conceptual mapping
learning processes
sanctioning processes
Focus areas in ethnographic research
conceptual cultural mapping
learning processes
sanctioning processes
What is a learning processes method
to understand how a culture transmits what it perceives to be important across generations
What is a sanctioning processes method
to understand which cultural elements are formally prescribed or proscribed and which are informally , and of these which are enforced through sanction and which are unenforced. (doping)
focus areas
Tacit knowledge
key informant
What is a key informant
an individual in whom one invests a disproportionate amount of time because that individual appears to be particularly well informed (for Uber, a taxi driver)
Tools when using ethnographic
- observation
- Interviewing
- Collecting and reading artifacts
Types of observations
-Pure observer (the most typical in ethnography): - observer participant -participant observer -pure participant
What are Fieldnotes
A record of the researcher’s understanding
provide essential grounding for writing broader,
detail the social and interactional processes
What are reflective field notes
personal reactions
Which is the typical observational tool to collect info in ethnographic research?
Personal Observation
Content analysis
Trace Analysis
Typical goals of Observation in ethnographic
– notice interesting features of the culture
– discern patterns among those events
– explain those patterns and their significance to your readers.
guidelines for Observation in ethnographic
Ask for permission to observe
Let your subjects know that you are there
Keep careful notes
Type of interviews
Phone
Mail
Electronic
Personal
Types of interviews (surveys) for ethnographic research?
Personal: but its a longer interview, it’s at home, and you do things with them, open endedB
How to give explanations
- Project explanations.
- Recording explanations
- Native language explanations
- Interview explanations
- Question explanations
material culture
objects, personal artefacts loaded with meanings and history that people mark as special
guidelines Collecting /Reading Cultural Artefacts:
pay attention to the items around
items that seem important, useful, or indispensable
appearance, size, texture, and other visible qualities
purpose, history, peculiar features
ways in which the artefact is being used
Think about the artefact metaphorically or symbolically
The process of ethnography
1- Business and research Q 2- Secondary data 3- Research design 4- Execution 5- Data analysis 6- Reporting
Preliminary tasks
Conversations with those who take the decisions
Interviews with the experts
Secondary data analysis
Qualitative research ( previous)
Step I : Problemidentification
Business question
Research question
Step II: Problem statement and context overview
Theoretical models Analylitical model (Experimental,..) Resarch questions Hypothesis Idenitification of the info needed
Step II: Problem statement and context overview
Theoretical models Analylitical model (Experimental,..) Resarch questions Hypothesis Idenitification of the info needed
Type of Questions
Descriptive questions (informant's language) Structural questions (info about domains and how they organize their knowledge) Contrast questions (to understand dimension of meaning)
material culture
objects, personal artefacts loaded with meanings and history that people mark as special
Secondary data sources
People
Places
Cultural artefacts
Ethnographer Vs journalist
A reporter conducts research in an attempt to be objective
As a researcher, your purpose is to collect and consider multiple sources of information
double-entry journal
– On the left-hand side column, record your observations of a culture or its components,
– On the right-hand side column, record your reflections, explanations, and questions about it.
