Doing Ethnography
Published on 3. February 2026
182 pages
978-1-4625-5923-7 (ISBN)
Description
Written by a sociologist and an anthropologist, this concise primer is packed with clear methodological guidance and engaging stories that illustrate what ethnography looks like in practice. The text follows the arc of a typical ethnographic study, with ethics and social justice concerns highlighted throughout. Jessica Smartt Gullion and Susan Harper address practical considerations in developing a research question, planning and conducting fieldwork, and dealing with common pitfalls. They show how to organize and analyze data, using techniques from grounded analysis to poetic inquiry. The book addresses the politics of fieldwork, discomfort and safety issues, and who has the right to tell others' stories, and offers advice on writing up and publishing ethnographic work for different audiences. Chapters include opening vignettes, boxes on key techniques, discussion questions, exercises, and prompts for contemplative learning.
More details
Persons
Jessica Smartt Gullion, PhD, is Professor of Sociology at Texas Woman's University. She has published several books and more than 35 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Qualitative Inquiry, the International Review of Qualitative Research, and the Journal of Autoethnography.
Susan Harper, PhD, is Director of Co-Curricular Student Development at Iowa State University. She is an educator, activist, advocate, and scholar whose interests include feminist pedagogy, qualitative inquiry as a tool for social justice, ethnography, and contemporary Paganism.
Susan Harper, PhD, is Director of Co-Curricular Student Development at Iowa State University. She is an educator, activist, advocate, and scholar whose interests include feminist pedagogy, qualitative inquiry as a tool for social justice, ethnography, and contemporary Paganism.
Content
1. An Invitation to Ethnography
- What Is Ethnography?
- Understanding Culture
- Ethnography as a Research Method
- Interviews
- Insider, Outsider
- The Origins of Ethnography
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Colonial Roots of Ethnography
- Sacred Knowledge
- Ethnography, Espionage, and War
- Reflecting on History
- Issues of Voice and Representation
- Ethnography Today
- Conclusion
2. Before You Go Into the Field
- Getting Started
- Writing Research Questions
- Ethical Considerations
- The Belmont Report
- Situational and Relational Ethics
- Reflexivity and Diffraction
- Conclusion
3. Field Work
- Beginning Fieldwork
- The Field
- When Your Field Is the Internet
- Safety in the Field
- Culture Shock
- Other Hazards
- International Field Work
- Travel to the Field
- Equipment
- Costs
- Audio/Video Recording, Preservation of Cultural Artifacts
- Field Notes and Memos
- Transcription
- Preservation and Archiving of Data
- The Politics of Fieldwork
- Conclusion
4. Data Organization and Analysis
- Moving to Analysis
- Engaging Data
- Analytic Moves
- Coding
- Writing Social Theory
- Poetic Inquiry
- Collage
- Conclusion
5. (Re)presentation [Writing]
- Written Accounts
- Thick Description
- Authorial Voice
- Maintaining Confidentiality
- Member Checking and Co-Constructed Narratives
- Polishing Your Writing
- Ethnographic Tropes
- Scientific Papers
- Writing for Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Writing Books
- Conclusion
6. Evaluation
- Going on Trial
- The Trial of Alice Goffman
- The Trial of Margaret Mead
- Evaluating Ethnography
- "Science"
- Conclusion
Appendix: Margaret Mead and Alice Goffman Walk into a Bar
Glossary
References
Index
- What Is Ethnography?
- Understanding Culture
- Ethnography as a Research Method
- Interviews
- Insider, Outsider
- The Origins of Ethnography
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Colonial Roots of Ethnography
- Sacred Knowledge
- Ethnography, Espionage, and War
- Reflecting on History
- Issues of Voice and Representation
- Ethnography Today
- Conclusion
2. Before You Go Into the Field
- Getting Started
- Writing Research Questions
- Ethical Considerations
- The Belmont Report
- Situational and Relational Ethics
- Reflexivity and Diffraction
- Conclusion
3. Field Work
- Beginning Fieldwork
- The Field
- When Your Field Is the Internet
- Safety in the Field
- Culture Shock
- Other Hazards
- International Field Work
- Travel to the Field
- Equipment
- Costs
- Audio/Video Recording, Preservation of Cultural Artifacts
- Field Notes and Memos
- Transcription
- Preservation and Archiving of Data
- The Politics of Fieldwork
- Conclusion
4. Data Organization and Analysis
- Moving to Analysis
- Engaging Data
- Analytic Moves
- Coding
- Writing Social Theory
- Poetic Inquiry
- Collage
- Conclusion
5. (Re)presentation [Writing]
- Written Accounts
- Thick Description
- Authorial Voice
- Maintaining Confidentiality
- Member Checking and Co-Constructed Narratives
- Polishing Your Writing
- Ethnographic Tropes
- Scientific Papers
- Writing for Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Writing Books
- Conclusion
6. Evaluation
- Going on Trial
- The Trial of Alice Goffman
- The Trial of Margaret Mead
- Evaluating Ethnography
- "Science"
- Conclusion
Appendix: Margaret Mead and Alice Goffman Walk into a Bar
Glossary
References
Index
