Definition of an Ethnographic Essay

Writing

Ethnography is a qualitative research method used most often in the social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology. Rather than relying on statistical data as in quantitative research, ethnography attempts to describe an experience in the social world and the personal lives of people. In order to write an ethnographic essay, you must gather empirical data through one of the following methods: Interviews, participant observation or questionnaires.

Ethnographic Types

Interviews are typically informal and aim to get the story behind a person's experiences. You will ask open-ended questions during interviews in order to obtain in-depth information. Participant observation is the most widely research method associated with ethnographic research. It involves in-depth observing and gaining familiarity with a group or individuals in their natural environments over an extended period of time. A questionnaire consists of questions that serve to document and gather information from specific people.

History

Anthropology was the first discipline to use ethnography as a research method. According to the book, "Ethnographic Research: A Guide to General Conduct," in the 19th century, American and European anthropologists were the first to use participant observation and questionnaires. Polish anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski is considered one of the first social scientists to clearly articulate how to do ethnographic fieldwork. Most early ethnographies were conducted on Indians and Africans.

Considerations

When doing ethnographic research, you must obtain informed consent. The notion of informed consent was designed to protect patients from abuses by medical researchers. In the social sciences, any research involving human subjects requires that each participant sign a consent form. Because ethnography may extend for long periods of time, informed consent may need to be renewed periodically so that there is no confusion about the research purpose.

Recruitment

Snowball sampling is one of the most commonly used recruitment techniques. According to Emily Adler and Roger Clark, it includes using some members of a group to identify other members. For example, if you are interested in teenagers, you could ask your participants to ask other teenagers to take part in your ethnography study. The person who controls access to participants, often called a gatekeeper, may allow you to gain entry to recruit others.

Misconceptions

Renée White notes that one of the defining characteristics of ethnography is that it is open-ended; you do not need any preconceived notions about what you will find. The primary point to an ethnographic essay is that you wish understand a topic from the point of view of those who are living a particular phenomenon or have specific knowledge about a particular matter. You do not seek to make causal conclusions. Instead, the goal is to explore a social reality.

References

• "Ethnographic Research: A Guide to General Conduct"; R.F. Ellen (editor);1984
• "You Still Talkin' Notes?: Fieldwork and Problems of Informed Consent"; Barrie Thorne; 2008
• "Mass Communication Research Methods"; Anders Hansen (editor); 1998
• "Talking About Sex and HIV: Conceptualizing a New Sociology of Experience"; Renée White; 2008

Resources

• "How it's Done: An Invitation to Social Research"; Emily Adler and Roger Clark; 2008