Ethnography is a type of research where a researcher observes people in their natural environment.
Ethnographers spend time studying people and their day-to-day lives and cultural activities carefully. It takes a long-term commitment and exciting methods of data collection.
Two unique features:
- The researcher carries out ethnographic research in a natural environment.
- A researcher acts as a participant and researcher at the same time.
History of Ethnographic Research
During the period of colonialism, anthropology emerged as a formal and notable discipline. Anthropologists started to study traditional people and their cultures. There are many types of ethnographic studies used for various purposes.
Uses of Ethnographic Research
Ethnographic research has the following uses:
- Documentation of endangered cultures
- Studying distant or new cultures
- Studying and observing people’s behaviour in a specific society or community over a more extended period with changing circumstances
Example:
Malinowski’s six years of research on the people of the Trobriand Islands in Melanesia.
Modern Uses in Social Sciences:
- Investigations done by detectives or police officers to solve criminal mysteries
- Investigations carried out to learn the history and details of culture, community, religion, or games
- Research was performed to understand the social interactions of the people
- Research to understand the roles of families and organisations
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What to Do Before Starting Your Ethnographic Research?
You need to identify your research question(s) and decide the mode of data collection. It’s better to choose a small group of people and aim to complete your studies within a short period.
It would help if you asked a few questions of yourself.
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Who will be your target participants?
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Do you have enough time to conduct the research?
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What’s the purpose of your study?
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What kinds of resources do you have?
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Do you have enough funds to conduct your research?
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Do you have access to the community you want to study?
Types of Ethnographic Research
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Realistic Ethnographic Research | Unbiased documentation written in the third person. Notes are collected for interpretations. |
| Case Study | A documented history and detailed analysis of a situation concerning organisations, industries, and markets. It aims to discover new facts about the condition under observation. It includes data collection from multiple sources over time. |
| Critical Ethnographic Research | Focuses on marginalised communities to study inequality and dominance. |
How to Conduct Ethnographic Research?
The following are the key steps involved in conducting ethnographic research.
Step 1: Problem Formulation
Before conducting any research, the essential step is selecting the problem you want to carry out your study.
Step 2: Select a Research Setting
After selecting a research problem, you need to select the location of your research. It will help if you prefer a familiar place and community in which you can fit comfortably.
Step 3: Get Access to the Community
You need to get access to the community you want to study. How do you reach the community you want to study?
You need to get official permission to conduct your research on a specific group of people. You can also join the community as a volunteer instead of a researcher.
There are two types of access, such a
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Open Access | You don’t need to seek formal permission to conduct your research and collect data in this type of access. You can observe the population, but still need to get accepted by the group to proceed with your research. | Public spaces like marketplaces, parties, and concerts |
| Closed Access | In this type of access, you need to get formal permission from the **gatekeeper** of the community or institution you want to study. | Formal institutions like schools, colleges, and corporations |
Step 4: Represent Yourself to the Group
It would help if you asked yourself a few questions before introducing yourself to the group members.
- How will you introduce yourself to the community you want to study?
- What would be your role in the group?
- How actively do you want to participate in the group’s day-to-day activities?
- Will the group accept you as a researcher and allow you to conduct your research?
Approaches:
You can follow any of the following approaches to get more information from the people.
Overt approach: You can either inform the participants about the experiment, which is called the overt approach. You can hide the research and oversee people’s behaviour.
Covert approach: You can hide the research and oversee people’s behaviour. It’s called a covert approach.
Active observation: You can also act as a participant of the community, performing activities like the group, called active observation. It allows the community to feel more comfortable with the researcher.
Passive observation: Similarly, you can keep yourself away from the group without performing any activities like them and observe them as a researcher.
It would help if you tried various approaches until you found a suitable method to proceed with your research.
Step 5: Collecting and Recording the Information
You can collect the data by the following methods
| Observation | Interviewing | Archival Research | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You can participate in the group activities or observe the group’s behavior, either informing them about the experiment or keeping them unaware of the investigation. | You can carry out direct conversations with all group members or obtain information from a specific member of the group. It’s better not to rely on informants, as they may interpret the data according to their perception rather than deliver it in its actual context. | You can use existing information stored in the previous researchers’ records to proceed with your research. | |||
However, the main difficulty you might face in this step would be gathering records and information. You can follow the following steps to avoid the issue.
- Keep a notepad for observations.
- Record as soon as possible to avoid memory loss.
- Use field notes, audio, or video recordings.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ethnographic Research
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| You can conduct ethnographic research alone. | It requires a lot of time. |
| It allows you to observe changes in people’s behaviour and culture over time and record them. | It is challenging to conclude the results. |
| You can conduct it in any place. | The researcher needs to work alone. |
| It allows you to be a part of the community as a participant and take a close look at their lifestyle. | Requires patience, interaction skills, and living within the community. |
| You can gather detailed information with abundant experience, which helps you in further research. | Personal safety and privacy may be at risk. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes ethnographic research stand out from other research methods is that it deals with studies of people in their natural environment and focusing on real-life context rather than controlled settings.
Yes, it can be done online by virtually observing communities, forums, or social media platforms.
The duration of study varies, but it often takes weeks to months since it involves observing people over time to capture and understand the cultural and behavioral patterns.
