Week 6, Ethnography Flashcards
Ethnography
Putting yourself in the middle of a social phenomenon
Be aware of context of colonialism
Ethno –> People, nation
Graph –> Write
Participating in the day to day mundaneness of life, participant observation.
A long term METHOD (singular) that gives us a THICK description.
(Watch the video).
Ethnographic Research
Can happen in many places
In ethnography ____ _________ is the primary instrument.
In ethnography the researcher is the primary instrument.
The modern ethnographer sees the world as
interpretive.
Webs of Significance
What are the webs that are created between participants? How are participants related?
Is ethnography more inductive or deductive?
It is inductive, you don’t start with a hypothesis, you’re not out to necessarily prove anything.
Benefits of ethnography
Meaning: Rich understanding of how people interact together.
Context: Richer understanding on location and site/situation for interaction.
Unanticipated phenomenons: Generates new grounded theory, not imposing anything on the situation, no preconceived notions.
Understanding process by which events and actions take place.
Causal relationships.
Funnel structure
Inductive
Ethical considerations
- access affects accuracy of settings
- researcher in a potentially deviant position
- Private settings; need sponsorship, gate keepers may have their own agenda
Observer Positions
- covert
- overt
- marginal native
Covert
Observer states that they are an ordinary, legitimate member of the group.
Overt
Purpose of the research and procedures explained to the people being studied.
Complete participant
Covert
Complete observer
Simply observing
Participant as observer
People know you’re there, field observer
