Ethnographic Fieldwork

the psychological and biological characteristics of the human individual

the various social system of which that individual is a member

individual behaviors and those behaviors preferred by these various social systems

the ideational or meaning systems of the individual

expressive and material culture

significant environmental and historical factor

the range of felt and perceived needs

Ethnographic Fieldwork

Sources

• A Synthesis of Ethnographic Research - Michael Genzuk
• Basic Classical Ethnographic Research Methods - Tony L. Whitehead
• Qualitative Methoden der Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie - Erst Halbmayer und Jana Salat
• Ethnographic fieldwork: A beginner's guide - Jan Blommaert
• Grundkurs Soziologie - Hans Peter Henecka

by Olga Soybelman (21136) and Maria Heinemann (21394)

After Fieldwork

Natural Learning Process

Basic Information

During Fieldwork

Analyzing and Interpreting

Qualitative descriptions

Final report

• sufficient description to understand the analysis
• sufficient analysis to understand the interpretation

• first: analysis

-> organizing and categorizing

of the data

• then: interpretation

-> explaining descriptive patterns

-> looking for relationships

• reducing
• focusing

=> qualitative reports

-> detailed descriptions and

quotations

Field notes

• like a diary

-> material memory of the

fieldwork

=> a repository of

knowledge

Guidelines for fieldwork

• no absolutely structured plan, but:

Ethnographic fieldwork?

inter alia:

• information from different perspectives

• information from different sources

• using quotations

• keeping sight of the development of the fieldwork

• be descriptive

-> taking field notes

Interviewing

Descriptive interviews

• for getting information of a personal perspective

Example Question

Native language questions

Experience question

• "Could you give me an example of such a situation?"

• "If you were talking to a customer, what would you say?"

• "Could you tell me about some experiences you have had working as xy?"

unstructured

structured

Origins

Basic Aim

• exploring everyday life over a longer period of time

via personal participation

Social Science Procedures

• method for collecting data

Fieldwork

Application

Create experiences

intensive and long-term in-relation setting

Practical use

The Cultural Ecology of Health and Change (CEHC)

• uses conceptual paradigms based on theories of culture
• addresses the complexities of the socio-cultural contexts
• tries to research what people influence
• Community-Based Initiatives (CBIs)

• first:

-> understand the socio-cultural

contexts in which a certain

behavior occur

The Principle of the Interrelationship between Sociocultural Contexts, Processes and Meaning Systems

The Cultural System Paradigm (CSP)

• by Tony L. Whitehead
• exploring the cultural systematic qualities of a community

The Principle of Paradigmatic Flexibility

• flexible framework

The Principle of Universal Human Cultural Categories

• universal phenomena

-> relevant in every culture

• ethnographer researches the expressions in different cultures

Anthropology

• classical ethnography

-> local communities

• today

-> technical innovation

-> public institutions

-> companies

-> politics

Field notes

Pro / Contra

Prior to Fieldwork

Historical origins

• systematical compiling and elaborating

• science of human beings

Ethnography

More Settings?

• draws a hug picture

-> BUT:

=> loosing focus?

• includes elements of qualitative and quantitative methodologies

• discos
• farmers markets
• sport events
• food activities
• festivals
• shopping malls
• jails

• process of discovery
• making inferences
• continuing inquiry

Historical particularism

Human Relations Area Files (HRAF)

• by George Peter Murdock (1897 - 1985)
• re-establishing of the comparative method
• HRAF -> ethnographic data material of more than

400 cultures

• by Franz Boas (1858 - 1942)
• restriction on a certain culture if there is a historical reconstruction of cultures
• inductive approach
• intensive collection of ethnographic material via fieldwork

• lack of attention to meaning systems
• humans construct multiple realities
• BUT:

-> open-ended exploratory

• no investigator control?

• local point on view
• recognizing new problems
• understanding problems

• uncovering unknown phenomena
• discovering the right question to be asked
• emic validity

Malinowski

Preparation

Boas

Murdock

Documentation

Sociology

• social science research method
• uses the whole method-arsenal of empirical social research
• personal experience and participation

-> fieldwork

Functionalism

• by Bronislaw Malinowski (1884 - 1942)
• initiator of the modern ethnographic data collection

-> collection of first hand data within the field

Ethnography as method

Initial Ethnographic Tours

Ethics

Strategy

Secondary Data Analysis

Methodological Principles

Descriptive Observations

Participant observations

Research takes place in everyday contexts

• all senses focused on observation

-> recording as much information as

possible

• clearing the current state of research

"The dignity of men is unimpeachable."

• researcher tries to participate as much as possible
• direct participation + observation + intro-spection + interviewing + document an-alysis

Naturalism

• social research just by first-hand con-tact
• minimizing the effects on the behav-ior

-> higher chance for generalizing

of research finding

Criticism

• loosing of the focus easily
• extent of participation depends on the setting

Collecting data by using several sources

• finding a way to enter the community

-> community experiences

ethnographic fieldwork

=> enhancing of information

by community experts

No detailed plan

Methodological Principles

Understanding

• used by all ethnographers
• expression of the criticism of quantitative research

-> not able to show the true nature of

human social behavior

• interpretation of different reactions

-> no cataloging

-> no causality

• first: studying the culture
• then: explaining the behavior

Researching of just a single setting or group

Discovery

Analyze of the data collection

• research process:

inductive / discovery-based

• no testing of explicit hypotheses
• if necessary:

changing course of the research

General information about methods

• study of society

Aim

"to grasp the native's point of view ... to realize his version of the world" - by Malinowski

• observing and examining all aspects of a cultural system

Fieldwork

Preparation

"a form of study requiring a researcher to be involved personally in the life and social activities of an individual or a group" - Harry F. Wolcott

• acquisition of material and regional know-how
• communicative skills
• clarifying his own role

• interviews
• observation
• documentation

= narrative description

An overview