W & H of Ethnography


Ethnography relies on observation or participant observation in natural settings. It is a broad methodologicl approach in that it may include different sets of instruments used to describe everyday human behaviour. An ethnographic study results in written description of matters such as social organization, social activities, symbolic and material resources and practices of a particular group of people (Duranti, 1997). This blog tries to conceptualize one journey into becoming a full fledged ethnographer!

Authenticity and Narratives

An ethnography can be used as a methodolgy to present the voice of a social group (e.g.women, gay), an institution (e.g. a company or a school), or an ethnic group (e.g. hispanics, Taiwanese) or in most cases a combination of the three such as Hispanic school girls, or Taiwanese gay engineers etc..
Methods of data gathering in ethnigraphic research are many (e.g. interviews, questionnaires, artifacts and narratives.  Narratives are used frequently as a way to express the authenticity and voice of the research participants.

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