Ethnographic Writing

Ethnography is a study of a group of people in their natural setting. It is frequently referred to as fieldwork or participant observation using face to face interaction with a group of people in a real life setting. You might refer to an ethnography as a portrait or description of a particular human situation as it exists in a particular time and place. The purpose of writing an ethnography is to describe all or part of the culture or life of the group you are studying. As the ethnographer, you would immerse yourself into the culture of that group.

Issues that should be taken into account when writing an ethnography include objectivity, verification and accuracy.

Guidelines in writing your ethnography (Salamone, p 852)

• You need to identify your personal assumptions, preconceptions, experiences and feelings that affect your perceptions.
• Incorporate your personal assumptions into your thinking and writing.

With these issues in mind, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Why have you chosen your site or subject?
• Which of your personal facts about yourself may affect your perceptions?
• What subjective positions (life history and personal experiences) may affect your ability to carry out your research?
• What textual positions (language choices you make in conveying what you perceive) may affect what you know?

Step by Step Guide to Writing an Ethnography

1. Select a topic and write a short description explaining the purpose of your ethnography and the information you would like to collect.
2. Distance yourself from the subject of your research, so you can observe everything, not just what you might have considered important at the start.
3. Consider how you will enter the group, organization or situation you intend to study. (Robinson-Caskie, p. 854)
4. When preparing to interview receive informed consent from the person(s) that you would like to interview.
5. Determine what questions to ask and the order in which you will ask the questions.
6. Don’t debate or show judgment about your interviewee’s responses.
7. Record the interview as well as take notes as the person is speaking in order to check for missing details after the interview.

Brief list of the kinds of information and data that would be included in an ethnography:

• Things said by the people you are studying.

(Note: If you are trying to illustrate someone’s point of view, it is helpful to use that person’s words verbatim.)

• Observations and descriptions of events, human activities, behaviors or situations.
• Relevant historical information
• Statistical data

Sources:

Robinson-Caskie, E. E. (2006). Ethnography. Encyclopedia of Anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 853-

854). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Salamone, F. A. (2006). Ethnographic Writing. Encyclopedia of Anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 851-

853). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.