Ethnography essentials : designing, conducting, and presenting your research

259 Pages·2010·1.887 MB·English

by  Murchison, Julian M

ETHNOGRAPHY ESSENTIALS M
U
R
C
H
Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting IS
O
Your Research is a comprehensive and practical guide to N
ethnographic research, a versatile tool that fi ts many research
needs. This book guides readers through the process, starting
with the fundamentals of choosing and proposing a topic and
E
selecting a research design. The book describes methods of
data collection (taking notes, participant observation, interviewing, T
identifying themes and issues, creating ethnographic maps H
and tables and charts, and referring to secondary sources) and
N
analyzing and writing ethnography (sorting and coding data,
ETHNOGRAPHY
answering questions, choosing a presentation style, and O
assembling the ethnography). Although content is focused on
G
producing written ethnography, many of the principles and
R
methods discussed here also apply to other forms of ethno-
ESSENTIALS
graphic presentation, including ethnographic fi lm. Designed to A
give basic hands-on experience in the overall ethnography
P
research process, Ethnography Essentials covers a wealth of top-
H
ics, enabling anyone new to ethnography research to successfully
explore the excitement and challenges of fi eld research.
Y

The Author E
DESIGNING, CONDUCTING, AND PRESENTING YOUR RESEARCH
Julian M. Murchison is associate professor of anthropology S
and sociology at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
S
He conducted ethnographic research in southern Tanzania for
E
nearly two years. He regularly travels to Tanzania with students
N
and supervises their independent research projects and
ethnographic writing.
T
I
A
RESEARCH METHODS/ANTHROPOLOGY L
S
JULIAN M.
www.josseybass.com
MURCHISON
Cover design by Michael Rutkowski
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ETHNOGRAPHY
ESSENTIALS
Designing, Conducting,
and Presenting Your Research
J U L I A N M . M U R C H I S O N
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Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Murchison, Julian M., 1973–
Ethnography essentials : designing, conducting, and presenting your research/Julian
M. Murchison.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-34389-0 (pbk.)
1. Ethnology Methodology. I. Title.
GN345.M87 2010
305.8001—dc22
2009031953
Printed in the United States of America
FIRST EDITION
PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS
Preface vii
The Author xiii
PART 1

THE WHY AND WHAT OF ETHNOGRAPHY 1
1 WHAT IS ETHNOGRAPHY? 3
E thnography: 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 12
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 Benefi ts of a Relatively Specifi c Focus 23
Thinking About the Nonobvious as Discoverable 26
Cultural Knowledge and Behavior in Action as Research Objects 28
Practical Concerns 29
Considering Ethics from the Start: Your Obligations to
Potential Informants 32
Topics You Might Want to Avoid 33
3 RESEARCH DESIGN 37
Turning an Idea or Topic into a Research Question 38
Linking Questions to Methods 40
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iv
Contents
Key Methods to Consider for the Ethnographic Project 41
What Is Practical or Feasible? Time, Availability, and Ethics 47
4 WRITING A PROPOSAL 51
Identifying and Reviewing Appropriate Literature 52
Statement of the Problem 55
A Clear Research Plan 56
Identifying Your Project’s Larger Relevance 58
Human Subjects Review and Approval 59
PART 2
:
ETHNOGRAPHY IN THE FIELD

COLLECTING DATA 65
5 A GUIDE TO COLLECTING DATA AND TAKING NOTES 67
The Fleeting Nature of Ethnographic Data 69
“Should I Write it Down Immediately?” 69
The Importance of Detail in the Ethnographic Record 71
Writing Notes Versus Using Recorders 72
The Prospects of Transcription 74
What Is Important and What Is Superfl uous:
“What Do I Need to Write Down?” 76
The Ethics of Collecting Information 78
6 PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION 83
The Apparent Paradox: Participation and Observation 84
Balancing Participation and Observation 87
The Importance of Time 88
Depending on Informants as Teachers and Guides 89
Getting Started 92
Regular Versus Extraordinary Behavior and Conversations 94
7 INTERVIEWS 99
Starting with Informal Interviews and Conversations 101
Informal Conversation as an Avenue to “Real” Culture 104
A Good Interviewer Is a Good Listener 105
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v
Contents
How to Record Interview Data 105
Using an Interview Schedule 107
How to Start an Interview 108
Good Versus Bad Interview Questions 109
When to Conduct Formal Interviews 113
8 ANALYZING ALONG THE WAY 115
Identifying Key Themes and Questions: Paying Attention to Your Data 116
How to Organize Your Notes 117
What Have You Learned? 118
What Do You Still Need to Do? 119
Has the Research Question Changed? 120
Tweaking the Research Design 121
Getting Feedback from Your Informants 122
Writing at the Midway Point 123
9 ETHNOGRAPHIC MAPS 127
Space and Movement as Key Components of Culture 131
The Importance of Space, Shape, and Distance 131
Large- and Small-Scale Geographic Maps 132
Mapping Interior Spaces 135
Cognitive or Conceptual Maps 138
Representing Movement and Behavior on a Map 141
10 TABLES AND CHARTS 143
Ethnographic Tables 144
Interpersonal Relationships as a Manifestation of Culture 144
Kinship as an Organizing Principle 146
Other Organizational Charts 149
11 ARCHIVES AND SECONDARY DATA 157
Cultural Artifacts as Sources of Information 158
Making Ethnographic Use of Archives 161
Contemporary Cultural Artifacts 164
Evaluating and Analyzing Cultural Artifacts 166
Analytical Sources Versus Popular or Primary Sources 167
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vi
Contents
PART 3

ANALYZING AND WRITING 171
12 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 181
13 ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND BUILDING MODELS 183
Fitting the Pieces Together 184
Moving from Data to Theory: The Inductive Process 190
Remembering the Big Picture and the Big Questions 190
Infusing Theory in Ethnography 192
14 CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE PRESENTATION STYLE 195
Common Ethnographic Conventions 196
The Importance of Ethnographic Detail 202
Matching Style to Audience, Subject, and Analysis 204
A Formal to Informal Continuum of Style 206
15 PUTTING THE WHOLE ETHNOGRAPHY TOGETHER 211
The Hourglass Shape as a Model 212
Alternative Models for Organizing an Ethnography 213
Incorporating Relevant Literature 214
Incorporating Maps, Charts, and Photographs 215
Demonstrating the Project’s Relevance 216
Evaluating and Revising Ethnography 217
Sharing the Ethnography 218
Incorporating Responses and Critiques 220
GLOSSARY 223
REFERENCES 231
INDEX 235
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PREFACE
This book aims to guide the relatively new ethnographer through the research process
step by step. Advanced undergraduate students in anthropology, sociology, education,
and related fi elds that employ ethnography will appreciate this text, and it could also
prove useful to undergraduate students at the introductory level, more advanced stu-
dents who want a practical guide to doing research, and even practitioners of ethnogra-
phy in organizations and institutions outside of academics. The book starts from the
premise that you will be engaged in your own ethnographic research over the course
of a semester or a similar time period. Some projects may be slightly more concen-
trated in duration, and some projects may last a year or longer. The same basic princi-
ples apply in either case.
T he book assumes relatively little prior exposure to ethnography, though previous
experience in reading ethnographies or even doing ethnographic research is always a
plus. With this working assumption, the book starts at step one in the research process
and walks the reader through the entire project in a mostly chronological fashion.
Readers who bring some experience with ethnography to the book may fi nd that some
sections provide a sort of review. Such a review can help those readers in evaluating
their own thoughts about ethnography.
The book was written to maximize usefulness and accessibility. You will fi nd
important ideas and concepts (often highlighted as key terms) throughout the text.
However, you should fi nd very little jargon or highly specialized terminology. I have
aimed to cover important and complex ideas and issues in as simple and straightfor-
ward a manner as possible. When the ideas and issues can be covered in relatively
plain language, I have preferred that approach over the language used in texts on eth-
nographic methods intended for a more advanced and specialized audience.
The reader of this book should fi nd the tools and the space to pursue various eth-
nographic projects. As a research strategy, ethnography encompasses a lot of different
approaches and assumptions. There are even fundamental disagreements about what
ethnography is or should be. I have aimed to address key questions and critiques
that arise in discussions of ethnography without getting sidetracked by topics that will
prevent you from completing your task in a relatively straightforward and effective
way. Along these lines, I explain why the use of terms like informant and fi eld can be
the subject of signifi cant debate, but I choose to use these terms because you will fre-
quently encounter them elsewhere and they make discussion of certain topics, meth-
ods, and strategies easier. I expect that you will come to use these terms with some
awareness of their multiple layers of meaning and that you will be part of the next gen-
eration of ethnographers who will help the research strategy evolve and overcome
some of its limitations.
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viii
Preface
I n producing this guide for the ethnographic endeavor, I want to allow, and even
encourage, students and other readers to explore multiple possibilities in conducting
ethnography. Therefore, the text is intended to include multiple approaches under the
umbrella of ethnography. For example, your individual approach may be decidedly
scientifi c or intentionally subjective. Either way, you should fi nd useful information
for your work in the text. At times, in order to allow for this multiplicity of approaches,
the text has to include multiple possible scenarios and multiple options for you. In
these instances, you have to decide for yourself the approach that seems most suitable
for you and your research. I have provided suggestions and criteria for making those
decisions and emphasized the ways in which decisions and strategies related to
research strategies, methods of data collection, and analysis are interrelated.
T he topic of ethics is not confi ned exclusively to the fi nal chapter or an appendix.
Ethical issues arise throughout the text. This regular treatment of ethics should help
you understand the importance of ethical considerations and the manner in which all
ethnographers grapple with and address the issues. The book aims to give you a sense
of the underlying ethical questions that ethnography raises and the practical steps that
ethnographers take to address ethical concerns.
THE BASIS FOR THIS BOOK
There are a number of good books out there that examine ethnography as a whole or
one of its component parts. Relatively few of these books are geared toward an under-
graduate audience, and many of them are theoretical rather than practical in focus.
Those books that are both practical and accessible to the undergraduate tend to assume
a rather narrow sort of project or present a series of separate ethnographic exercises.
Therefore, this text assumes that you benefi t from designing and carrying out a partic-
ular project that employs a combination of methods.
A copy of the syllabus for a course called Ethnographic Research and Writing
started the conversation between the publisher and me that ultimately led to this book.
I have taught that course on two different occasions. Students in the most recent class
read drafts of many of the chapters contained in the fi nal book. Like the book, that
course is designed around a semester- l ong ethnographic research project. Students are
expected to choose their own topics and devote considerable time to the project
throughout the course of the semester. The class considers the nuts and bolts of ethno-
graphic methods, the strength and limitations of ethnography, and the writing process.
There is a strong commitment to the idea of ethnography as writing. Work by the stu-
dent and the instructor is presented and critiqued in a workshop format that requires
the students to write and revise throughout the process. This book refl ects that com-
mitment to ethnography as writing i ntensive. While the ultimate focus is on producing
a fi nal written ethnography, this book focuses also on the processual writing that hap-
pens in the course of writing from start to fi nish. Ethnographers write to record infor-
mation, and they write as a way of analyzing the data they collect. If they are aware
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