...topic of assignment: ethnography. submitted by Umair Ijaz. (roll Number 1 BS English 4th semester) submitted to: Sir Waseem Akhtar. date of submission: 12-06-2012. OUTLINE In this chapter, I shall define ethnography and describe its central characteristics and principles. I shall also look at the key research concepts of reliability and validity as they relate to ethnography, and will discuss the importance of context to ethnographic inquiry. In the final part of the chapter, I shall highlight some of the 'central concerns of this topic by contrasting psychometry and ethnography, The chapter seeks to address the following questions: • - What do we mean by ethnography? • - What are the key principles guiding ethnographic research? • - How might one deal with threats to the reliability and validity of this type of research? • - Why is context important to ethnographic research? • - In what ways does ethnography contrast with psychometric research? • Definition: Ethnography involves the study of the culture/characteristics of a group to real-world rather than Laboratory settings. The researcher makes no act to isolate or manipulate the phenomena under investigation, and insight generalizations emerge from close contact with the data rather than from theory of language learning and use. it is a qualitative type of research. Ethnography is provided by LeCompte and Goetz (1982). They use ethnography shorthand term to encompass a range of qualitative methods...
Words: 4244 - Pages: 17
...to this unsettlement and fear of loss of identity, most exiles have refused to accept citizenship from other countries (McGranahan, 2016). Hence, their refusal come as a political stance because it is their way of asserting their right to sovereignty. Second, the articles followed the criteria of a proper ethnographic work. All of them bases their on their founding as well as borrowing from other ethnographers. For example, Marcel Mauss’ work, The Gift, was used as a starting point to theorize since he was one of the first to speak about how refusal is seen in different society They are part of a collective of anthropologists who came to together to theorize about refusal. In addition to taking data from each of their own different ethnography and fieldwork, they are able to join common themes, create a discussion and form theses. Unlike some essays where the goal is to comment off other people’s work and create a debate, these articles felt like they were adding on to the knowledge of the reader by presenting a cohesive journal. By reading the background information, one realize that not only do they complement each other but each anthropologists had a hand in correcting one another work. In the sense, they read each other's work before the work is published and give comment on each other’s draft. Why is the study of refusal so pertinent? By providing an ethnographic approach to the study on refusal, these articles were able to interpret and simplify our understanding...
Words: 1259 - Pages: 6
...Qualitative Approaches A qualitative "approach" is a general way of thinking about conducting qualitative research. It describes, either explicitly or implicitly, the purpose of the qualitative research, the role of the researcher(s), the stages of research, and the method of data analysis. here, four of the major qualitative approaches are introduced. Ethnography The ethnographic approach to qualitative research comes largely from the field of anthropology. The emphasis in ethnography is on studying an entire culture. Originally, the idea of a culture was tied to the notion of ethnicity and geographic location (e.g., the culture of the Trobriand Islands), but it has been broadened to include virtually any group or organization. That is, we can study the "culture" of a business or defined group (e.g., a Rotary club). Ethnography is an extremely broad area with a great variety of practitioners and methods. However, the most common ethnographic approach is participant observation as a part of field research. The ethnographer becomes immersed in the culture as an active participant and records extensive field notes. As in grounded theory, there is no preset limiting of what will be observed and no real ending point in an ethnographic study. Phenomenology Phenomenology is sometimes considered a philosophical perspective as well as an approach to qualitative methodology. It has a long history in several social research disciplines including psychology, sociology and social work...
Words: 809 - Pages: 4
...Community Voices: The Nauck Community Heritage project Summary: The Nauck Community Heritage project video clip discusses the history of the Nauck community. This ethnographic research (the study of a single culture) was gathered through participant observation (research/ field work done on site), using informal interviews (unstructured open ended conversations in everyday life), qualitative data (non statistical information such as personal stories and customary beliefs and practices), and information gathered from key consultants (members of the society being studied who provide information to help researchers get the meaning of what they are observing). The key consultants are people who were either born in the Nauck community area or lived in the community for an extended period. The majority of the people interviewed were born in the 1930s and 40s; right around the time when the community was established. The video discusses the history of how the Nauck community was created. During WWII the people living in the Arlington area where displaced in order to provide an area for the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery to be built. They were relocated to the Dunbar area, originally in trailers, and later had the Dunbar apartments built in the Nauck Green Valley neighborhood. The Dunbar apartments have recently been demolished to provide room for the area’s expanding urbanization projects. Some of the people interviewed lamented about their loss of culture as a result of this urbanization...
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
...new product concepts. This paper proposes that ethnographic representation methods , including innovative visual representations, offer untapped potential for design research reporting, not just field of historical design. Te in term s of facilitating com munications during the mpts by designers to make sense of the broader the potential of ethnographic design process, but also as a record of ongoing atte representation methods for design. Keywords: Ethnography in design, Ethnographic writing, Ethnographic representation st projects by design students show 1. Introduction Ethnography is often viewed as a specialized area within reveal and preserve cultural knowledge, using methods such the larger activity of cultural anthropology, seeking to as interviewing or cultural submersion to discover important values. Since design is also a profession that a ddresses cultural m eaning in the creation of sym bolically significant new products and services, it has been natural fo r the field of design research to turn to ethnography for inspiration. However, designers and design educators, like m yself, have tended to embrace ethnographic fieldwork methods rather than the interpretive m ethods of ethnogr aphic w riting. D esigners seldom...
Words: 4965 - Pages: 20
...What Is Cultural Anthropology? When a person thinks about cultural anthropology, they should not limit themselves by thinking of one particular thing. Their mind should be racing with countless subjects. ‘Cultural anthropology’ is a pretty broad title for a discipline that covers such a wide range of topics. Anthropology studies all that is human and all that makes us human (Malloy, 2011). To narrow it down a bit, anthropology studies culture. One can define culture as “those relationships whereby, one and one’s community establish identity; knowledge of self and others, knowledge of the world and how we are to be in the world, and what various versions of those worlds mean to ‘us’ and ‘them’” (Malloy, 2011). Every individual person represents a culture of their own within the society they live in. Jack Weatherford estimates that “the globe stands divided into roughly two hundred independent countries or states, but these contain somewhere around five thousand different nations or ethnic groups” (1994, p.226). With so many different cultures out there, people of a particular society cling to their culture and hold to it with extreme importance. Even through times of modernity that pushed for a world culture, the number of different cultures did not homogenize and mesh together. On the contrary “ethnic and cultural identities grew stronger…and accentuated differences to become more varied than ever” (Weatherford, 1994, p.8). Cultural anthropology studies that behavior and the...
Words: 1413 - Pages: 6
...levels and types of context were attended to in interpretation? - What recurrent patterns are described? - What cultural interpretation is provided? - What are the stated implications for teaching? Question 1.What is ethnographic research? State the difference between an ethnographic research and a psychometric research and give example from applied linguistic studies. ------------------------------------------------------------- Ethnographic research is one form of qualitative research which concerns with studying human behavior within the context in which that behavior would occur naturally and in which the role of the researcher would not affect the normal behavior of the subjects. Ethnography research requires: - much training, skill and dedication - a great store on the collection and interpretation of data - question and hypothesis emerge during the course of investigation, rather than beforehand...
Words: 1354 - Pages: 6
...For my ethnography project I chose to study the life at the 459 Commons restaurant located on LSU’s campus. This dining hall is mostly occupied with freshmen students who live in the surrounding dorm rooms. The main focus of this ethnography is to compare the norms of the workers when the 459 is crowded with students and when it is less crowded. A norm is defined as a group held belief about how members should behave in a given context. How does the standard of behavior change when many students are eating at the restaurant compared to when few students are eating at the 459 Commons? Although the norms of the workers are the main focus of the ethnography, hierarchy also play a important role at the 459 Commons. The 459 Commons is a restaurant that is provided to meet the everyday food necessities of the students at LSU. It sells many different types of snacks, entrees, and drinks. They sell breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Next-door is the 459 Outakes convenience store where you can grab quick snacks and drinks. On various nights they will have themed dinners for example “fiesta night” where Mexican food is served. As you enter the restaurant, there is a counter in the front with a few registers in which they scan your tiger card for Tiger cash or Paw points. You then walk in and there is a buffet in which workers stand behind and serve food. In the next room there is a machine in which customers can get fountain drinks. There is also a soup and salad bar. The 459 has...
Words: 562 - Pages: 3
...‘DISCUSS THE EXTENT TO WHICH ANTHROPOLOGY IS A SCIENCE.’ The study of anthropology concerns itself with the understanding of various societies and cultures within our world. It focuses on revealing the spectrum of connections and relationships that serve as the foundation to society and culture. Ethnography, which involves one immersing themselves in a foreign culture serves as the main form of research for anthropologists’. However the interpersonal and subjective nature of this form of study undermines the scientific nature of Anthropology in regards to the natural sciences. In order to understand the extent to which anthropology is a science, I will explore arguments which reiterate the validity and academic value of anthropological import, this will be achieved through the analysis of the ‘modified sociological realism’, intersubjective pattern recognition’ as well as ‘human patterns’. Science considers itself totally absent from interpersonal subjectiveness however this notion should be scrutinized and evaluated in order to ensure that the study of Anthropology is not made to be redundant In contrast to the natural sciences. This form of scientific understanding can be referred to as the ‘modified sociological realism and is supported by the commentaries of Ziman (1978), Hacking (1982,1983), Taylor (1982) and Harre (1986). Science is a human activity and human nature should be considered as an element in producing empirical import. The work of scientists within the natural...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...Extended Essays in Social and Cultural Anthropology These subject guidelines should be read in conjunction with the “Introduction”, “Outline” and “Details—all essays” sections of this guide. Overview An extended essay in social and cultural anthropology provides students with an opportunity to develop an awareness of what constitutes a distinctively anthropological approach to the organization of human life in society and culture. Extended essays should be based on published ethnographic research. Students are expected to demonstrate, in the presentation of the research, their knowledge and understanding of the methods and aims of social and cultural anthropology. Choice of topic Social and cultural anthropology is not a “residual” category for essays that do not fit into any other extended essay subject. Students must choose topics that lend themselves to anthropological investigation, and must carefully consider their choice of topic in terms of the assessment criteria. An extended essay in social and cultural anthropology should analyse a topic from a theoretical or comparative perspective, based on the student’s own original analysis and on a solid understanding of the theoretical issues concerned. Students who intend to tackle comparative projects must be aware that research strategies involving two or more societies may call for greater narrowing of the research focus than a study in a single society. For example, a comparative analysis of Mexican and...
Words: 2008 - Pages: 9
...Ronnie Roland Unit # 6 Assignment 1 SS3150 Ethnography (from the Greek words ethnos = nation, and graphein = writing) refers to the qualitative research method of describing human social phenomena, based on data obtained primarily from fieldwork. The goal is a complete, accurate description of the culture being studied, on its own terms. Ethnography should not be confused with ethnology, which is the comparative study of cultures. Although ethnographic studies inevitably involve some comparisons with other cultures, their primary purpose is not comparison. The roots of ethnographic studies are found in the reports of travelers and historians dating back to the Greek writer Herodotus, and more recently, of traders and colonial administrators. The inherent difficulty of ethnographic studies is immediately apparent in these reports, as the writers often misinterpreted for various reasons the activities they witnessed in foreign cultures. Ethnography relies primarily on detailed descriptions of the social life and cultural phenomena of a particular group of people. I choose ethnography because even thought I have not been in Hurricane Katrina myself and my family have been in a hurricane while station on the Gulf Coast, and for those that have suffered in Hurricane Hugo ,we have an ideal of what happens during these trying time The good part about Ethnography is that it closes the gap between cultures, enabling people to better understand the true meaning and value of different...
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...Subcultures of Consumption: An Ethnography of the New Bikers JOHN W. SCHOUTEN JAMES H. MCALEXANDER* This article introduces the subculture of consumption as an analytic category through which to better understand consumers and the manner in which they organize their iives and identities. Recognizing that consumption activities, product categories, or even brands may serve as the basis for interaction and social cohesion, the concept of the subcuiture of consumption soives many problems inherent in the use of ascribed social categories as devices for understanding consumer behavior. This article is based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork with Hartey-Davidson motorcycle owners. A key feature of the fieldwork was a process of progressive contextualization of the researchers from outsiders to insiders situated within the subculture. Analysis of the social structure, dominant values, and revealing symbolic behaviors of this distinct, consumption-oriented sutKulture have led to the advancement of a theoretical framework that situates subcultures of consumption in the context of modern consumer culture and discusses, among other implications, a symbiosis tietween such subcultures and marketing institutions. Transferability of the principal findings of this research to other subcultures of consumption is established through comparisons with ethnographies of other self-selecting, consumptiorv oriented subcultures. T he most powerful organizing forces in modern life are the...
Words: 1552 - Pages: 7
...2014/2015 ------------------------------------------------- MA in Human Resources & Consulting Assessed Work Declaration Form This form should be attached to the front of all work submitted for assessment. Name: | Chao Sun | Library card number: | 31434921 | Coursework Title: | Paper 1 Paper 2 Research Essay Consulting Project Dissertation Proposal Dissertation | Tutor: | Dr Valerie Stead | * All submissions for coursework assessment should be your own work. * Any copying from the work of others will be heavily penalized. * Allowing other students to copy your work will also be penalized. I hereby confirm that I have read and understood the University’s regulations relating to plagiarism (as summarized in the MA in Human Resources and Consulting Participant Handbook) and that the work to which this declaration is attached is my own. Signature of Student: | | Qualitative Research Methods Review Taking “The Supportive expatriate spouse” as a case Introduction This Review is aimed at analyzing the qualitative research methods used in “The supportive expatriate spouse” by Jakob Lauring and Jan Selmer (2010).The specific research elements will be discussed in perspectives of suitability, benefits, limitations and ethical issues in context of the authors’ research. Research Methods The research question of the above article is to investigate the...
Words: 1462 - Pages: 6
...For my ethnography project I conducted the study in Starbucks. My cousin is a supervisor at one of the locations and I figured it would be easy for me to conduct my research seeing as though they have free Wi-Fi, and everyone seems to take advantage of free Wi-Fi. I also thought it would be a good place to observe a diverse group of age ranges and see both males and females interact. Starbucks have a wide variety of customers that come in, especially a wide variety of businessmen and businesswomen. I believe that this was a perfect spot to conduct my observations. I was thinking about conducting my research at my current job but I figured I would choose somewhere where I did not know any of the people there, so I figured this would make my observations more interesting. Going into this project I thought I would see a diverse age group that ranged from children, students to young adults and retirees. I also thought I would observe females interacting with females, males interacting with males, and females interacting with males. During these observations, I hoped to observe how people interact differently based on what kind of situation they are in (business versus social), and I also hoped to observe behaviors between different genders. Starbucks was a great place to conduct this research because I always see professionals meeting up with their business laptops. I conducted these observations on a Saturday afternoon, and I stayed for about three hours. I figured a Saturday...
Words: 1139 - Pages: 5
...field, the more you realize that the researcher argues for his/her point of view even as he/she reports the facts. When we ask how to provide medical care, how to enforce the law, how to work in the legal profession, how to do science, how to educate children – when we ask how any profession should be done – there is always more than one possible answer. We have to decide which answers work best, and the research almost always provides some evidence for both (or many) sides. Facts mean nothing without interpretation – we have to decide what the facts mean, what their consequences are. So we need to get used to using facts, not just reporting them. We need to write expository essays that include our own opinions and points of view. Ethnography is a science that allows for this kind of writing. Ethnographers study social communities (“cultures”) from the inside out – the researcher lives in and among the people she studies for months or years, speaking the language, participating in daily life. He or she takes copious notes on the details of everyday life. He transcribes thousands of...
Words: 2312 - Pages: 10
