What Is Ethnography? The Research Method That Studies Cultures From The Inside
Ethnography is known as a qualitative research method built on the diversity of cultures, both at home and abroad. It involves hands-on, on-the-spot learning and matters wherever people are involved. It is the primary method of social and cultural anthropology, yet it is also an integral part of the social sciences and humanities in general, and it borrows its methods from many fields, including the natural sciences. Here is what you need to know about it.
Ethnography is a way of understanding the world through people's social relationships.
Ethnography sits at the heart of getting to know the world through its social relationships. Researchers learn by being present in the setting they study rather than only asking questions from a distance.
Today ethnography is not limited to anthropology; it is a common approach across many social science fields. It is used not only to study distant or unfamiliar cultures, but also to study particular communities within the researcher's own society.
Its biggest advantage is direct access to a group's culture and practices.
Ethnography gives the researcher first-hand access to how people in a particular context behave and interact. By entering a social setting, you can reach more authentic information and observe dynamics you would never learn about just by asking.
It is also an open and flexible method. Rather than setting out to confirm a general theory or test a hypothesis, it lets you explore many different aspects of the group and the setting, aiming to give a rich account of a specific culture.
The drawbacks
Ethnography is time-consuming. To immerse yourself in a setting and gather enough observations for a representative picture, you need at least several weeks and more likely several months, which calls for careful planning.
It can also carry a risk of observer bias, since it may involve subjective interpretation, and it can be hard to keep the distance needed to analyze a group you are embedded in. Ethical issues, especially around observing and reporting sensitive information, also need to be considered.
A few questions can tell you whether ethnography is the right approach for your research.
If you are thinking of using ethnography in a study, these questions can help you decide:
Could the information you need be collected in another way?
How difficult will it be to access the community you want to study?
How exactly, and over what time frame, will you carry out your research?
What ethical issues might arise?
To make sure the research is feasible within a limited time frame, it is usually a good idea to choose a relatively small and easily accessible group.
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