Ethnography lecture

ethnography definition

method of producing knowledge about collective forms of identity and social relations

a means of formulating and answering cultural questions…

• about the role of place in shaping ppl’s practices, expressions, and sentiments

• about the performative dynamics of social interactions

• about the patterns of though/action and the context where they unfold and are shaped

description generated from a series of observations, reconstructing what was said or occurred; analysis involves breaking up a series of events/words to explain how they function

a means of describing and analyzing behaviors and beliefs in reference to the cultural categories by which they are produced, perceived, and interpreted

who is hatred of the government most intense among?

ppl who rely on the government the most

What did Heiman make an ethnography about?

Driving After Class - about how class anxieties play out in everyday life

2 key components of ethnography

process: identify topics, formulating questions, generating data, taking field notes, characterizing dynamics

analysis: surveying literature, defining terms and parameters, postulating about field dynamics, drawing conclusions

they combine to form an argument

what do verbal and nonverbal data tell us?

verbal data makes claims about modes of thought

nonverbal data makes claims about modes of action

both involve meaning

Franz Boas 

German Jew, physicist

cultural relativism: plural, no more/less complex

historical particularism: study each culture in a particular context and distinct historical trajectory; different ‘causes’, no uniform process

plasticity of human development- changes in the bodily form of descendants of immigrants

Bronislaw Malinowski

observed Trobriand Kula ring exchange system

formulated the ethnographic method

Margaret Mead

researched adolescence in Samoa for young women → backlash and beef w/Derek Freeman

Mead concluded that the passage from childhood to adulthood in Samoa was a smooth transition, not marked by the psychological distress, anxiety, or confusion in US

Freeman focused on chiefs

they looked at dif aspects of nature v nurture

field notes definition and two parts

written accounts derived from observations and interviews

two parts: descriptive attempts to capture a word-picture of the setting, actions, and conservations; and reflective records of thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns based on the observations and/or interviews

types of descriptions in field notes

• the physical setting

• the social environment and how the participants interact within the setting

• the participants and their roles in the setting

• the meaning of what was observed from the perspectives of the participants

• exact quotes or close approximations of comments that relate directly to the purpose of the study

• any impact you might have has on the situation you observed

• be self reflexive about your interests and observations

what to include in a reflection

• note ideas, impressions, thoughts, and/or any criticisms you have what you observed

• include any unanswered questions or concerns

ethnographic methods

• participant observation

• individual interviews

• expert interviews

• impromptu group interviews

• physical traces mapping

• behavioral mapping

• transect walks

• historical and archival documents

guide for interviewing

who to talk to 

what to listen for

when to interview

where

goal of mapping

develop spatial awareness of ppl’s daily lives and built environment

Setha Low ethnographies

behind the gates - gated community

spatializing culture - space and place