Ethnography Essentials

The Author Julian M. Murchison is associate professor of anthropology and sociology at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He conducted ethnographic research in southern Tanzania for nearly two years. He regularly travels to Tanzania with students and supervises their independent research projects and ethnographic writing.

• Preface viiThe Author xiiiPart 1 The Why and What of Ethnography 11 What is Ethnography? 3Ethnography: The Engaged, Firsthand Study of Society and Culture in Action 4A Brief History 4How Ethnography Has Changed: Doing Contemporary Ethnography 8Ethnography as Firsthand Research 12Ethnographer as Research Instrument 13Collaboration as Research Model: Ethnographer as Student 152 Choosing an Ethnographic Topic 19Where to Look for Possible Topics 22Ethnographic Topics: Studying Places, People, or Events 23The Benefits of a Relatively Specific Focus 23Thinking About the Nonobvious as Discoverable 26Cultural Knowledge and Behavior in Action as Research Objects 28Practical Concerns 29Considering Ethics from the Start: Your Obligations to Potential Informants 32Topics You Might Want to Avoid 333 Research Design 37Turning an Idea or Topic into a Research Question 38Linking Questions to Methods 40Key Methods to Consider for the Ethnographic Project 41What is Practical or Feasible? Time, Availability, and Ethics 474 Writing a Proposal 51Identifying and Reviewing Appropriate Literature 52Statement of the Problem 55A Clear Research Plan 56Identifying Your Project’s Larger Relevance 58Human Subjects Review and Approval 59Part 2 Ethnography in the Field: Collecting Data 655 A Guide to Collecting Data and Taking Notes 67The Fleeting Nature of Ethnographic Data 69“Should I Write it Down Immediately?” 69The Importance of Detail in the Ethnographic Record 71Writing Notes Versus Using Recorders 72The Prospects of Transcription 74What is Important and What is Superfluous: “What Do I Need to Write Down?” 76The Ethics of Collecting Information 786 Participant-Observation 83The Apparent Paradox: Participation and Observation 84Balancing Participation and Observation 87The Importance of Time 88Depending on Informants as Teachers and Guides 89Getting Started 92Regular Versus Extraordinary Behavior and Conversations 947 Interviews 99Starting with Informal Interviews and Conversations 101Informal Conversation as an Avenue to “Real” Culture 104A Good Interviewer is a Good Listener 105How to Record Interview Data 105Using an Interview Schedule 107How to Start an Interview 108Good Versus Bad Interview Questions 109When to Conduct Formal Interviews 1138 Analyzing Along the Way 115Identifying Key Themes and Questions: Paying Attention to Your Data 116How to Organize Your Notes 117What Have You Learned? 118What Do You Still Need to Do? 119Has the Research Question Changed? 120Tweaking the Research Design 121Getting Feedback from Your Informants 122Writing at the Midway Point 1239 Ethnographic Maps 127Space and Movement as Key Components of Culture 131The Importance of Space, Shape, and Distance 131Large- and Small-Scale Geographic Maps 132Mapping Interior Spaces 135Cognitive or Conceptual Maps 138Representing Movement and Behavior on a Map 14110 Tables and Charts 143Ethnographic Tables 144Interpersonal Relationships as a Manifestation of Culture 144Kinship as an Organizing Principle 146Other Organizational Charts 14911 Archives and Secondary Data 157Cultural Artifacts as Sources of Information 158Making Ethnographic Use of Archives 161Contemporary Cultural Artifacts 164Evaluating and Analyzing Cultural Artifacts 166Analytical Sources Versus Popular or Primary Sources 167Part 3 Analyzing and Writing 17112 Sorting and Coding Data 173Writing from Your Research Data 174Identifying Key Themes and Questions 175Identifying Important Research Moments and Experiences 176Coding and Sorting the Ethnographic Record 178Dealing with Apparent Contradictions: The Messiness of Ethnographic Data 18113 Answering Questions and Building Models 183Fitting the Pieces Together 184Moving from Data to Theory: The Inductive Process 190Remembering the Big Picture and the Big Questions 190Infusing Theory in Ethnography 19214 Choosing the Appropriate Presentation Style 195Common Ethnographic Conventions 196The Importance of Ethnographic Detail 202Matching Style to Audience, Subject, and Analysis 204A Formal to Informal Continuum of Style 20615 Putting the Whole Ethnography Together 211The Hourglass Shape as a Model 212Alternative Models for Organizing an Ethnography 213Incorporating Relevant Literature 214Incorporating Maps, Charts, and Photographs 215Demonstrating the Project’s Relevance 216Evaluating and Revising Ethnography 217Sharing the Ethnography 218Incorporating Responses and Critiques 220Glossary 223References 231Index 235