Ethnography

What is ethnography?

"Ethnography is the recording and analysis of a culture or society, usually based on participant-observation and resulting in a written account of a people, place or institution".(Definition taken from the Glossary of Terms written by Simon Coleman and Bob Simpson)

Traditionally, ethnographies have focused in depth on a bounded and definable group of people; such as the Nuer, or a particular North Indian village. Today, they are just as likely to focus on a particular aspect of contemporary social life; such as new reproductive technologies, the meanings of the veil, virtual communication, or being a Milwall football club fan. The concept of ethnography has been developed within social anthropology; but the term is now sometimes used in a looser way in for example opinion and market research.

Why are ethnographies important?

Ethnographies as texts offer excellent insight into how social anthropologists undertake their fieldwork, what it is like to experience daily life in an environment that may be initially unfamiliar, and the political, economic and social dynamics involved in collecting ‘data’. By providing specific, in-depth case studies, they can serve as excellent means for teaching about global issues such as climate change, migration and globalisation. Even where ethnographies focus on a particular practice - such as a religious ceremony, or a culinary ritual – the anthropologist will typically place the practice in its full context to give a holistic, rich and multi-faceted account.

Reading good ethnographies is an excellent way to learn how social anthropologists go about their research; and how they reflect on their own and one other’s experiences in the field, and construct their broader theories.

Suggested Resources

• Tips on how to study an ethnography

There are countless examples of ethnographies which have been produced since the early days of social anthropology. The ethnographies listed below have been chosen for their readability and suitability for teaching and learning purposes at pre-university level.

  Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco
  By: Paul Rabinow
 (University of California Press, 2007)

  My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student
  By: Rebekah Nathan
  (Penguin Group, 2006)

Conservation is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea
By: Paige West
(Duke University Press, 2006) 
 

For an additional list of recommended ethnographies and other introductory textbooks visit:  http://www.londonanthropologyday.co.uk/introductions-to-social-anthropology.html