Autorentext

JULIAN M. MURCHISON is Department Head and Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology at Millsaps College. His research is focused on religion and health in southern Tanzania, where he has conducted studies for more than twenty-five years.

Klappentext

A step-by-step, hands-on guide to the theory and practice of ethnography research In the newly revised second edition of Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting Your Research, author Julian M. Murchison delivers a comprehensive, hands-on guide to ethnographic research. The book walks you through the process from start to finish, from choosing a topic to selecting a research design, conducting data collection, analysis, and paper writing. Murchison explains the principles and methods of the discipline, focusing on written ethnography while also including other methods of presentation, like ethnographic film. He describes the history and purpose of ethnography and the nuts and bolts of conducting a valuable ethnographic study. Inside the book:

• Specific, step-by-step advice on compiling your data, incorporating relevant literature, figures, and photos, and responding to critiques
• Techniques for collecting, sorting, and managing large amounts of data

• Interviewing strategies for ethnographic researchers that explain how to balance participation and observation Perfect for practicing ethnographers, Ethnography Essentials is also a must read for students in the field and anyone new to ethnography research.

  Inhalt

  Preface xi

  The Author xiii

  PART 1 the why and what of ethnography 1

  1 WHAT IS ETHNOGRAPHY? 3

  Ethnography: The Engaged, Firsthand Study of Society and Culture in Action 4

  A Brief History 4

  How Ethnography has Changed: Doing Contemporary Ethnography 8

  Ethnography as Firsthand Research 11

  Ethnographer as Research Instrument 13

  Collaboration as Research Model: Ethnographer as Student 15

  2 CHOOSING AN ETHNOGRAPHIC TOPIC 19

  Where to Look for Possible Topics 22

  Ethnographic Topics: Studying Places, People, or Events 23

  The Benefits of a Relatively Specific Focus 23

  Practices of Virtual Ethnography 25

  Thinking About the Nonobvious as Discoverable 27

  Cultural Knowledge and Behavior in Action as Research Objects 29

  Practical Concerns 30

  Considering Ethics from the Start: Your Obligations to Potential Informants 33

  Topics You Might Want to Avoid 34

  3 RESEARCH DESIGN 37

  Turning an Idea or Topic into a Research Question 38

  Linking Questions to Methods 40

  Key Methods to Consider for the Ethnographic Project 41

  What Is Practical or Feasible? Time, Availability, and Ethics 46

  4 WRITING A PROPOSAL 50

  Identifying and Reviewing Appropriate Literature 51

  Statement of the Problem 54

  A Clear Research Plan 55

  Identifying Your Project's Larger Relevance 57

  Human Subjects Review and Approval 58

  5 COLLABORATIVE ETHNOGRAPHY 62

  Working in Ethnographic Teams 63

  Implementing a Research Team 65

  Strategies for Collaborating with Research Participants 69

  PART 2 ethnography in the field: collecting data 75

  6 A GUIDE TO COLLECTING DATA AND TAKING NOTES 77

  The Fleeting Nature of Ethnographic Data 79

  "Should I Write It Down Immediately?" 80

  The Importance of Detail in the Ethnographic Record 81

  Writing Notes Versus Using Recorders 82

  The Prospects of Transcription 83

  What Is Important and What Is Superfluous: "What Do I Need to Write Down?" 85

  The Ethics of Collecting Information 87

  7 PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION 90

  The Apparent Paradox: Participation and Observation 92

  Balancing Participation and Observation 93

  The Importance of Time 95

  Depending on Informants as Teachers and Guides 96

  Getting Started 98

  Regular Versus Extraordinary Behavior and Conversations 100

  8 INTERVIEWS 105

  Starting with Informal Interviews and Conversations 106

  Informal Conversation as an Avenue to "Real" Culture 109

  A Good Interviewer Is a Good Listener 111

  How to Record Interview Data 111

  Using an Interview Schedule 112

  How to Start an Interview 113

  Good Versus Bad Interview Questions 115

  When to Conduct Formal Interviews 118

  9 ANALYZING ALONG THE WAY 121

  Identifying Key Themes and Questions: Paying Attention to Your Data 122

  How to Organize Your Notes 123

  What Have You Learned? 124

  What Do You Still Need to Do? 125

  Has the Research Question Changed? 126

  Tweaking the Research Design 126

  Getting Feedback from Your Informants 127

  Writing at the Midway Point 129

  10 ETHNOGRAPHIC MAPS 132

  Space and Movement as Key Components of Culture 133

  The Importance of Space, Shape, and Distance 138

  Large-and Small-Scale Geographic Maps 139

  Mapping Interior Spaces 141

  Cognitive or Conceptual Maps 143

  Representing Movement and Behavior on a Map 145

  11 TABLES AND CHARTS 147

  Ethnographic Tables 148

  Interpersonal Relationships as a Manifestation of Culture 148

  Kinship as an Organizing Principle 150

  Other Organizational Charts 153

  12 ARCHIVES AND SECONDARY DATA 158

  Cultural Artifacts as Sources of Information 159

  Making Ethnographic Use of Archives 162

  Contemporary Cultural Artifacts 164

  Evaluating and Analyzing Cultural Artifacts 166

  Analytical Sources Versus Popular or Primary Sources 167

  PART 3 analyzing and writing 171

  13 SORTING AND CODING DATA 173

  Writing from Your Research Data 174

  Identifying Key Themes and Questions 175

  Identifying Important Research Moments and Experiences 176

  Coding and Sorting the Ethnographic Record 178

  Dealing with Apparent Contradictions: The Messiness of Ethnographic Data 180

  14 ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND BUILDING MODELS 183

  Fitting the Pieces Together 184

  Moving from Data to Theory: The Inductive Process 189

  Remembering the Big Picture and the Big Questions 190

  Infusing Theory in Ethnography 191

  15 CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE PRESENTATION STYLE 194

  Common Ethnographic Conventions 195

  The Importance of Ethnographic Detail 201

  Matching Style to Audience, Subject, and Analysis 202

  A Formal to Informal Continuum of Style 205

  16 PUTTING THE WHOLE ETHNOGRAPHY TOGETHER 208

  The Hourglass Shape as a Model 209

  Alternative Models for Organizing an Ethnography 210

  Incorporating Relevant Literature 211

  Incorporating Maps, Charts, and Photographs 212

  Demonstrating the Project's Relevance 213

  Evaluating and Revising Ethnography 214

  Sharing the Ethnography 215

  Incorporating Responses and Critiques 217

  GLOSSARY 220

  REFERENCES 226

  INDEX 000