What Is The Purpose Of Ethnographic Fieldwork?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Ethnographic field work involves

a trained ethnographer living within a specific group of people and collecting data about their lives and cultural attitudes

.

What is the purpose of ethnographic research?

The primary purpose of ethnography is

to gain a holistic understanding of a social or cultural group

.

Why is ethnographic fieldwork important?

One of the main advantages associated with ethnographic research is that

ethnography can help identify and analyse unexpected issues

. … Because of its subjective nature, an ethnographic study (with a skilled researcher) can be very useful in uncovering and analysing relevant user attitudes and emotions.

What is the role of ethnographic fieldwork in anthropology?

Ethnographic fieldwork is

how anthropologists gather data

. … In the fieldwork process, anthropologists eventually piece together ideas about kinship, language, religion, politics, and economic systems, which allows them to build a picture of the society.

What is ethnographic fieldwork?

Ethnographic fieldwork, carried out according to the method of long-term participant-observation, is

what defines social anthropology

. … The method is based on the paradoxical activity of participating fully in peoples’ lives, while simultaneously observing it from a distance.

What is the moral of ethnography?

The basic ethical principles to be maintained include

doing good, not doing harm and protecting the autonomy

, wellbeing, safety and dignity of all research participants. Researchers should be as objective as possible and avoid ethnocentricity. Any deception of participants should be fully justified.

What are the basic elements of ethnographic fieldwork?

Ethnographic fieldwork typically begins with

participant observation, which is later complemented by other data (e.g. interviews and documents)

. Keeping field notes is a key activity performed by the ethnographer. Everyday events are recorded along with the participants’ viewpoints and interpretations.

What is ethnography example?

Generally, an ethnographic study involves

a researcher observing behaviour either in person or via cameras pre-installed in participant homes

, work places, etc. Think of the show Gogglebox where viewers observe the reaction to other people watching TV – that’s ethnography.

What are the characteristics of ethnographic research?

  •  …
  • Produces an accurate reflection of perspectives and behaviours.
  • Ethnography consists of inductive, interactive and repeated collection of unstructured data and analysis to build local cultural theories. …
  • Data are mostly collected from fieldwork experiences.

What is the ethnographic method?

Ethnographic methods are

a research approach where you look at people in their cultural setting

, with the goal of producing a narrative account of that particular culture, against a theoretical backdrop. As part of this you will look at: … How they interact with one another, and with their social and cultural environment.

What is unique about ethnographic fieldwork?

The Unique Aspect of Ethnographic Fieldwork

Ethnography is

qualitative research

, not quantitative. Ethnographers focus on the study of individual groups of people and cultures, often studying a specific aspect like language, geography or economics.

What are the three meanings of ethnography?

:

the study and systematic recording of human cultures

also : a descriptive work produced from such research. Other Words from ethnography Example Sentences Learn More About ethnography.

What methods are used to do ethnographic fieldwork?


Participant observation

is one of the most important methods used by ethnographers. This aspect of ethnography involves careful observation of the daily life of the community. In many cases, the first stage of participant observation involves becoming proficient in the local language.

What is ethnography in simple terms?

ethnography,

descriptive study of a particular human society or the process of making such a study

. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork and requires the complete immersion of the anthropologist in the culture and everyday life of the people who are the subject of his study.

What are the benefits of ethnography?

  • Marketers Get a More Realistic Picture. …
  • Uncovers Extremely Valuable Insight. …
  • Pinpoint Business Needs & Make Accurate Predictions. …
  • Extended Observations. …
  • Higher Scope of Available Data. …
  • Ethnography Requires Time. …
  • Creating a Normal Environment Isn’t Always Easy. …
  • It’s More Difficult to Recruit.

What is an example of fieldwork?

A researcher in the field of ecology, for example, may conduct field work

to understand how specific organisms

, such as plants and animals, relate to one another and to their physical surroundings. The work of Charles Darwin on the Galapagos Islands is an important example of field work in the natural sciences.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.