ethnographies
Fieldwork-based cultural accounts
Ethnographies are detailed, firsthand studies of cultures or communities, typically produced by anthropologists who immerse themselves in the group they're studying.
The ethnographer observes daily life, conducts interviews, and participates in activities to understand how people live and make meaning.
Her ethnographies of fishing villages in Portugal took years to complete.
The term covers both the research method and the written accounts that result from it.
Research conducted on location
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- qualitative dataNon-numeric descriptive information
- case studiesDetailed analyses of instances
- informantsPeople providing secret intelligence
field notes · methodology · thick description · immersion · documentation · rapport · reflexivity · data collection
Scholarly single-topic publications
- dissertationsExtended academic research documents
- publicationsWorks issued to readers
- sociologyStudy of human communities
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
citations · journals · Malinowski · scholarship · literature review · academic press · tenure · conferences
Ceremonial repeated practices
- kinshipState of being related
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- practicesRepeated training sessions
traditions · ceremonies · social structures · communities · indigenous peoples · tribes · villages · lifeways
Account of events
- descriptionAccount of characteristics
- vignettesBrief evocative descriptions
- voiceSound from throat
- representationDepiction or likeness
storytelling · portraiture · authorship · interpretation · context · firsthand accounts · episodes · scenes
Indonesian island natives
- AmazonianOf that vast jungle
- InuitArctic indigenous people
- MaasaiEast African ethnic group
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
Japanese · African markets · Pacific Islanders · Andean · Southeast Asian · Caribbean · Himalayan
fieldwork
Research conducted on location
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- qualitative dataNon-numeric descriptive information
- case studiesDetailed analyses of instances
informants · field notes · methodology · thick description · immersion · documentation · rapport · reflexivity · data collection · site selection
monographs
Scholarly single-topic publications
- dissertationsExtended academic research documents
- publicationsWorks issued to readers
- sociologyStudy of human communities
peer review · citations · journals · Malinowski · scholarship · literature review · academic press · tenure · conferences · chapters
rituals
Ceremonial repeated practices
- kinshipState of being related
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
practices · traditions · ceremonies · social structures · communities · indigenous peoples · tribes · villages · lifeways · worldviews
narrative
Account of events
- descriptionAccount of characteristics
- vignettesBrief evocative descriptions
- voiceSound from throat
representation · storytelling · portraiture · authorship · interpretation · context · firsthand accounts · episodes · scenes · dialogue
Balinese
Indonesian island natives
Navajo · Japanese · African markets · Pacific Islanders · Andean · Southeast Asian · Caribbean · Himalayan
ethnographiespure theory
ethnographieslaboratory experiments
Controlled scientific investigations indoors