SOC 7141 Chapter 8: SOC 7141 - Chapter 8 (Ethnography)

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 7141
• Professor: Kathleen Rodgers

Document Summary

It te(cid:374)ds to o(cid:448)e(cid:396)lap (cid:449)ith othe(cid:396) la(cid:271)els including fieldwork, interpretive methods, case studies etc. There is no sharp distinction (cid:271)et(cid:449)ee(cid:374) eth(cid:374)og(cid:396)aph(cid:455) a(cid:374)d the stud(cid:455) of i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual life histo(cid:396)ies su(cid:272)h as o(cid:374)e"s o(cid:449)(cid:374) ethnography and virtual downloadable ones. It"s o(cid:396)igi(cid:374)s lie (cid:449)ithi(cid:374) the 19th century western anthropology where it was a descriptive account of a community/culture. The above demonstrates why ethnography does not have one standard meaning due to its complex history. Over time it has been reinterpreted and re-contextualized in various ways to match particular circumstances occurring within that time frame. One cannot forget its influence upon other theoretical frameworks. What ethnographers do: usually involves the researcher parti(cid:272)ipati(cid:374)g o(cid:448)e(cid:396)l(cid:455) (cid:449)ithi(cid:374) pa(cid:396)ti(cid:272)ipa(cid:374)t"s dail(cid:455) li(cid:448)es fo(cid:396) a(cid:374) extensive period time, whether it is asking questions, participating in activities or simply observing from the sidelines. Whatever data is able to shed light on their cultural way of living is key for researcher inquiry.