What is Ethnography?

Ethnography -- a field-based type of research which involves going out in a field and observing things
first-hand.

 The observation and descriptive study of people, cultures, and communicative practices through
interactive fieldwork.
 "Ethno" -- a combining form meaning "race," "people," or "culture" and "graphos" (Greek) --
to "draw" or to "write." Therefore, Ethnography simply means to "record culture"
o Going into a field, making observations and writing those observations down.
o Ethnography is all about observation and description.
 Ethnography is well known in the field of Anthropology -- the study of other cultures.
 Ethnography can also be used in the field of communication; in studying a culture or group of
people and understanding communicative practices.
o Example: a researcher going in a cigar shop and talking to people on their views about
cigar ban.
 In making an ethnography, you want to think of a topic where you can engage into communities
or go into a field where you can look for a communicative practice of some kind.

Research Questions should be:

 Open-ended
 Focused on a communicative construct
 Descriptive/Empirical
 Examples:
o "What is the culture of...?"
o "What is it like to be a...?"

Ethnography emphasize:

 Cultural knowledge: The implicit and explicit cultural knowledge we have about life.
o How do people interact with each other in this culture.
 Thick description: A detailed explanation of a social setting and of the lives of the people.
o Data is the observations written down in what is called "field notes".
o Describing the culture or group of people in a way that would be understood by the
readers.

Two kinds of Ethnography (in communication):

1. Ethnography of Communication/Speaking
o Studying culturally specific practices and patterns.
o By "culture" we mean, "speech community." A speech community is a group of
individuals who have a set of norms or rules of using and interpreting a speech.
o When doing an ethnography trying to observe first-hand how these people communicate
in their specific way for their specific purposes.of communication, you're going into a
speech community,
o Ethnography of communication looks at how people accomplish their communicative
goals in this setting.
 2. Autoethnography
o Autoethnography is ethnography incorporating your own past experiences and personal
life while analyzing a cultural phenomenon.
o In a way autoethnography is similar to an autobiography. "Auto" meaning "self."
o Your personal past experiences are your data, using it to build your theory.

Data Collection and Analysis

Before anything else...

1. Determine if ethnography is the appropriate design to answer your question.

2. Find the distinct cultural group within society.
3. Gain entry to group through a "gatekeeper" -- the one with the authority to let you in to the
group and do your study.
4. Become immersed in the everyday lives of the group (in the field) for extended periods of time.
5. Data primarily as observations and interviews. Other data includes artifacts, newspapers,
journals, etc. of the group people.

Relationship between Observer and Observed

 In ethnography, you need to make a decision about what will be your relationship to the people
you're observing.
 Keep in mind that depending on what relationship would you choose, there will be different
ethical implications. As an ethnographer you want to draw a line between what's ethical and
what's not for you.
 You can be a Complete Participant -- you become a member of the group. You do everything
they do without the group knowing that you are recording them.
o You will have to conceal the fact that you are an observer. A spy, essentially.
o You will have to rely on your ability to recall details and information if you are in a
situation where taking notes would compromise your identity.
o It is disputed whether this is ethical or not, but this might be the most accurate as you
are not disrupting the natural activity.
 You will have to decide if you're for the progression of science or the protection
of people's rights.
 You can be a Participant as Observer -- you become a member of the group. You do
everything they do but you let the group know that you are recording them.
o Only trade-off is that people might treat you differently as they know you are observing
them.
 You can be an Observer as Participant -- when you want to observe a culture but doesn't
want to participate because of moral and ethical reasons.
o You are observing the group but you are not engaging with them.
o There may be times when this is preferable.
 Lastly, you can be a Complete Observer -- you are observing the group from a distance. The
group knows you are observing but you are hidden from them.
o Example: observing through a two-way mirror, or through a camera.
 Participant as Observer and Observer as Participant are the most commonly used relationship in
ethnography.
Levels of Ethnographic Claims

 Description: describing the observed.

o This is what all field notes has.
o You want to describe things in as much concrete detail as possible.
o You have to put away all your preconceptions of things and just describe.
 Interpretation: relating the observed to general cultural patterns.
o Explaining the observed in the most comprehensive way. Think that you are explaining
this to an alien.
 Evaluation: judging the value of the observed in terms of your research questions.
o Why the observation is important.
o Why you are showing and addressing your findings.

Recording observations: Field notes: detailed writings of your observations.

 Essentially similar to what an interview transcript is.

 The better your field notes are, the better your findings are. The more detail you have, the more
accurate your findings will be.
 You have to be as detailed and specific as you possibly can.
 Field notes has several aspects. It should include:
o Notes -- written description/s of your observations
 Verbal Descriptions -- describing everything you are observing.
 Quotations -- You are allowed to interact with the people depending on what is
your relationship with them as an ethnographer. You'll gonna have to remember
all the quotes if taking notes will disrupt the activity.
o Diagrams: optional visualizations to accompany your field notes.
o Observer Reflections: things that comes to your mind as you take notes. Intuitions,
hunches, questions, feelings, etc. Also known as "margin notes" marked away from
your descriptive notes.
o Pictures: photos taken to supplicate your notes. You can take pictures if observed
permits you to.
 Though, these should not replace your verbal notes.
 When you take pictures, you want to as much detailed notes as possible to
describe it.
 A picture is just a small moment in time, observation is gonna cover the whole
time you are there.

The SPEAKING Framework

Going into a field to make on observation may be overwhelming. This can help you narrow down
your observations or give you a template on how to describe your observations.

1. Setting and Scene: what is the setting, time and place of the speech act?
2. Participants: who are the people involved? Speaker and audience.
3. Ends: What is the goal or purpose of the speech event.
4. Act: Act sequence. What is the order of the event? How does the event progress?
 5. Key: What are some hints to help understand the tone or spirit of the speech event, what is the
atmosphere?
6. Instrumentalities: What are the forms and styles of speech used by the speaker in the speech
event?
7. Norms: What are the social norms that regulate the speech event?
8. Genre: What kind of speech event is taking place? what genre of speech is it? What is the
general description of the speech?

Conclusion
Limitations

 A lot of time in the field is needed to understand a culture.

 The style of the final report may be difficult for those not used to writing that way.
 Researcher is at risk for "going native"... compromising duties as a researcher.
 Researcher presence and potential lack of ethical consideration may negatively impact the group
of people.
 Researcher presence may disrupt the natural activity of the group.

Conclusion

 Ethnography is all about rich description obtained through immersive observation. Your ability to
observe, note, recall, and describe these observations are the critical factor that would affect
your ethnography.
 Allows the readers to experience the culture without having been there.
 Data analysis includes discovering major themes from data that describe the culture.