ethnographer
Studies peoples' ways
An ethnographer is a researcher who studies cultures and communities through immersive observation and participation.
Ethnographers typically live among the people they study, documenting daily life, rituals, and social structures firsthand: The ethnographer spent two years with the tribe before publishing her findings.
The method distinguishes ethnography from survey-based or laboratory research.
Relating to education or theory
- scholarLearned, studious person
- researcherOne who studies systematically
- professorSenior university teacher
- ethnologistExpert in human cultures
anthropologist · sociologist · theorist · monograph · dissertation · journal · tenure · faculty
Research conducted on location
- fieldnotesOn-site written observations
- informantsPeople providing secret intelligence
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- qualitativeRelating to characteristics, not quantities
coding · transcription · immersion · rapport-building · reflexivity · triangulation · oral-history
Involving multiple societies
- holismWholes trump components
- kinshipState of being related
- MalinowskiPolish-British anthropologist, ethnography founder
- structuralismAnalysis through underlying systems
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
heritage · folklore · myths · taboos · religion · identity · cosmology · artifacts
Collective of connected people
- normsExpected behavioral standards
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
- rolesPositions or functions held
status · kinship · socialization · class · caste · reciprocity · subcultures
academic
Relating to education or theory
- scholarLearned, studious person
- researcherOne who studies systematically
- professorSenior university teacher
ethnologist · anthropologist · sociologist · theorist · monograph · dissertation · journal · tenure · faculty · conference
fieldwork
Research conducted on location
- fieldnotesOn-site written observations
- informantsPeople providing secret intelligence
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
qualitative · coding · transcription · immersion · rapport-building · reflexivity · triangulation · oral-history
cross-cultural
Involving multiple societies
- holismWholes trump components
- kinshipState of being related
- MalinowskiPolish-British anthropologist, ethnography founder
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
values · heritage · folklore · myths · taboos · religion · identity · cosmology · artifacts · cuisine
community
Collective of connected people
- normsExpected behavioral standards
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
roles · status · kinship · socialization · class · caste · reciprocity · subcultures
- scholarsscholar, professors, professor, researcher, researchers
- AnthropologistsMargaret Mead, anthropologists, ethnologists, paleoanthropologists, fieldwork
- cultural scholarsanthropologist, ethnologist, folklorist, cultural critic, ethnomusicologist
- knowledge keepersarchivist, curator, historian, librarian, loremaster
- researchersfield researcher, market researcher, anthropologist, sociologist, psychologist
- social scientistssociologist, psychologist, anthropologist, economist, political scientist
ethnographerstatistician
Professional interpreter of numbers
econometrician · data scientist · psychometrician · demographer · pollster
ethnographerphysicist
Scientist of matter and energy
chemist · geologist · astronomer · botanist