...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...
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...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...
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...In the following, different anthropologists have given their definition of the word. In her article, Audra Simpson (2016) define refusal as the revenge of consent. She bases her definition on her observation on the Kahnawà:ke Mohawks refusing to recognize Canada as their sovereign government (Simpson, 2016). In order for Canadian governance to be recognize by the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk , there must be a consent from the Mohawk people giving the Canadian government permission to protect them and their interest in exchange for their loyalty and renouncing their self-governance (Simpson, 2016). However, it becomes problematic when one consider the history of broken promises, unauthorized consent and unfairness between indigenous people and the Canadian government. This creates a mistrust toward the state (Simpson, 2016). Therefore, it is understandable the Mohawks people refusal to accept Canada as their government since they never consent to the...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...The association between an animal and man showed that more prestige was given to the more powerful one and thereby increasing male status in the village. b. What kinds of evidence does the author base this claim on? What are the anthropological methods used to collect this evidence? Geertz uses a mixture of research methods in his ethnography, predominantly employing long-term participant observation and supports this participant observation method with the inclusion of historical and literary research, and cross-cultural comparison. Anthropological methods such as interviewing along with the use of ethnographic realism which aims to define accurate and objective methods that accounts the different ways of life from first hand observations and experience. Other ethnographic techniques such as in depth interviewing of the Balinese people have made it possible to find out about the beliefs and perceptions. c. How does the author present the evidence to support the claim in this article? In other words, outline the argument, explaining how it works. The author’s observations and claims about how cockfighting is intertwined in Balinese...
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...Summary, Concepts & Main points. Bibliography Clifford Geertz (1972): Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight. Daedalus, vol. 101, no. 1, pp. 1-37 Summary The article by Clifford Geertz describes the explicit procedure and context in which Balinese cockfighting is performed. His first established presence in this unfamiliar country exposed him to an unwelcoming depiction of how the Balinese ignored foreigners. When fleeing with the locals upon a police raid from a cockfight, they overcame the biased expectations of the Balinese and were finally able to engage with the locals. His studies comprised primarily on cockfighting due to its diverse analogies associated to the Balinese every day life. The symbolic representation of the cock as an extension to the man, the importance of betting as a representation of their status and their approach to village rivalries through birds tearing each other apart demonstrates cockfighting is as significant a cultural expression to the Balinese as is baseball to Americans. Main Concepts Anthropological fieldwork is information collection outside of an office or laboratory where research on given subjects are conducted (Geertz, 1972, p. 2). Visitor status is social standing or perception on someone who does not come from their “home” (Geertz, 1972, p. 2). Narcissistic ego is the excessive interest in self-importance and status (Geertz, 1972, p. 3). Platonic love is a none sexual but intimate relationship with something or someone...
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...Friendship holds distinct significances and values to different people and cannot always be effortlessly expressed. A subject which had not seen much recognition prior to the 1970’s was how friendship is perceived by children. This essay is to provide the likenesses and differences between two studies which investigated this subject. The first study which will be discussed was accomplished by Brian Bigelow and John La Gaipa in which they used the content analysis approach. The second study to be considered was completed by William Corsaro in which the ethnographic method was used. The research by Bigelow and La Gaipa was similar to that of Corsaro’s as not much research had been done prior to their investigations within the study of friendship in children. However these investigations differentiated in the method of how data was obtained and portrayed. In 1975 Bigelow and La Gaipa requested 480 children, with an equal range of girls and boys, aged between six and fourteen years to write essays on friendship. They requested 60 students each from eight difference schools, 30 boys and 30 girls, from eight different areas in America. The specific information targeted was what they sought in a best friend and how this differed to other relationships they had. (Brownlow, 2012, p.242). The approach they took to their findings was content analysis, they had exchanged the qualitative data they held into quantitative data. Bigelow and La Gaipa collated the data from these essays and converted...
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...Rounds | |Data collection methods |The study used Ethnographic Methods to |The Quasi-Experimental Design was used over| | |examine problems related to answering |a 6-week period. A baseline data was taken | | |patients call lights on an inpatients unit.|during the first two weeks. An analysis was| | |The ethnographic methods of data collection|performed on data from 27 nursing units in | | |consist of five steps: mapping, |14 hospitals in which members of the | | |photography, observation, interviews, and |nursing staff performed rounds either at | | |analysis strategy phase. |one-hour or two-hour intervals. | |Data collection instruments |Maps were constructed showing the physical |Call light logs were used along with unit | | |layout of the unit that included medication|secretaries or call center attendants whose| | |room, bathroom, and charting areas. A tape|job it was to page staff to rooms. These | |...
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...a view of Nayar marriage that sees each of three ritual'the tdlike!- fukalyanam (tsli-tying ceremony), tirandukalydnam (first menstruation rite), and the ceremony that begins a sexual (sambandham) relationship-as centering on different and systematic sets of indigenous symbols and meanings. I do not intend to solve every problem related to Nayar marriage here, or to address everything previous writers have said. I will, however, try to say some significant new things about the subject, in light of which the complex "Nayar marriage problem" and the rich literature it has inspired can be better understood. Methodologically, this project is far from simple. The Nayar marriage system in its old, prob- lematic form is no longer extant, and hence cannot be observed ethnographically. Although older people have memories of it, these often extend only to what was done and not to why it was done or what it meant. In addition, there is the danger that modern meanings may differ from older ones. Yet these difficulties do not make the task impossible. To begin with, what informants say about the rituals, though often fragmentary and inconclusive, reveals certain consistencies and patterns. Second, ritual action for which there is no exegesis by informants can be compared to similar or identical actions in better-remembered or still-performed rituals to which mean- ings are more readily assigned. Finally, there are historical documents, both indigenous and written by outsiders, against which...
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...‘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...
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...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...
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...Ethnographic Observation TSL 4520 Grading Rubric Background (Milde, R., 2001) Common wisdom tells us that there are, in general, two kinds of writing: creative and expository. Creative writing tells about feelings, opinions, points of view, things that originate inside the writer. Expository essays tell about facts, things outside of the writer. Essays on literature examine a literary text, a thing outside the writer. Lab reports describe experiments with chemicals and other stuff that really exists and can be measured. Research is factual; fiction, poetry, and the personal story are emotional. Wrong. Writing is not that simple. The farther you go in your academic or professional career, the less you are able to simply report what you see. The more you know about your chosen 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...
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...Introduction The article I have chosen is ‘Reframing brand experience: The experiential meaning of Harley Davidson’ by Schembri, S. This article talks about the experiential aspect of branding, and how it can be more powerful than the product itself for some companies. The author studies the community surrounding Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Australia, and the lifestyle that comes with the brand loyalty displayed by many Harley-Davidson owners. She explains the method with which she is studying the “experiential meaning of Harley-Davidson”, and then begins to talk about what she learnt whilst immersing herself in the culture. She then discusses her findings and attempts to tie in theories which relate to them, after which she highlights the limitations that might be mentioned and defends her research. Finally, after discussing the power that Harley-Davidson has and also how the consumers interpret the product, she concludes that the way we perceive brands is changing and that the relationship that consumers have with the brand is of paramount importance to the company. Rationale for the article The purpose of this article is to delve into the meaning and value of branding to consumers. Focusing on Harley Davidson, Schembri talks of the different aspects of consumption, particularly experiential, and how this might persuade the consumer to buy a Harley-Davidson over other brands. Social status is linked in with branding, and the idea that people value themselves and compare...
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