ethnography
Immersive community study
Ethnography is the systematic study and description of peoples and cultures through direct observation and participation.
An ethnographer typically lives among a community for an extended period, documenting customs, beliefs, and social practices from the inside.
The method originated in anthropology but now appears across social sciences: Her ethnography of hospital emergency rooms revealed unwritten rules about triage.
The adjective is ethnographic.
Expert in human cultures
- cross-culturalInvolving multiple societies
- ethnocentrismBelief one's culture superior
- acculturationAdopting another group's customs
- kinshipState of being related
clan · tribe · Malinowski · holism · comparative · lifeways · worldview · enculturation
Research conducted on location
- qualitativeRelating to characteristics, not quantities
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- informantOne who provides intelligence
- immersionState of being submerged
fieldnotes · reflexivity · triangulation · coding · transcription · recording · documentation · rapport
Long-established customs passed down
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
heritage · folklore · mythology · cosmology · symbolism · taboos · ceremonies · festivals
Collective of connected people
- kinshipState of being related
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
- normsExpected behavioral standards
socialization · subculture · integration · reciprocity · exchange · hierarchy · roles · status
Account of events
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- representationDepiction or likeness
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
semiotics · sociolinguistics · voice · storytelling · meaning · context · ideology · agency
Assumed public identity
Existing in effect, not fact
- avatarDigital user representation
- forumGathering place for discourse
- hashtagLabeled link for posts
- platformRaised flat structure
screenshot · lurking · cyberculture · networked · multimodal · remote · asynchronous
ethnologist
Expert in human cultures
- cross-culturalInvolving multiple societies
- ethnocentrismBelief one's culture superior
- acculturationAdopting another group's customs
kinship · clan · tribe · Malinowski · holism · comparative · lifeways · worldview · enculturation
fieldwork
Research conducted on location
- qualitativeRelating to characteristics, not quantities
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- informantOne who provides intelligence
immersion · fieldnotes · reflexivity · triangulation · coding · transcription · recording · documentation · rapport · gatekeepers
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
customs · heritage · folklore · mythology · cosmology · symbolism · taboos · ceremonies · festivals · rites-of-passage
community
Collective of connected people
- kinshipState of being related
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
norms · socialization · subculture · integration · reciprocity · exchange · hierarchy · roles · status · networks
narrative
Account of events
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- representationDepiction or likeness
- interpretationAssigned meaning
hermeneutics · semiotics · sociolinguistics · voice · storytelling · meaning · context · ideology · agency · dialogue
persona
Assumed public identity
virtual
Existing in effect, not fact
platform · screenshot · lurking · cyberculture · networked · multimodal · remote · asynchronous
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- nonfictionbiography, autobiography, biographies, history, memoir
- academic fieldsmathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history
- cultural historyart history, music history, cultural artifacts, cultural memory, cultural movements
- disciplinesbiology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, psychology
ethnographyquantitative research
Empirical study using numbers
statistical analysis · survey research · psychometrics · econometrics · polling