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9.2 What is ethnography? 231

9.2 WHAT IS ETHNOGRAPHY?

One social scientist defined ethnography as “the art and science of describing a
human group—its institutions, interpersonal behaviors, material productions, and
beliefs” (Angrosino, 2007). At first reading, this definition may seem somewhat un-
satisfactory. After all, many forms of research might be used to develop a description
of a human group—we might do surveys, conduct interviews, observe activities, and
use other approaches described in this book (and elsewhere). Later in this chapter,
we see how these research methods are important parts of ethnographic studies. So,
what's so special about ethnography?
Ethnography, as a research methodology, has its roots in anthropological studies
of non-Western cultures. In attempting to develop deep understandings of unfamiliar
civilizations, researchers found that limited interactions and observations were insuf-
ficient. Moving beyond these limits required stepping out of the role of dispassionate
observer and engaging directly with people in their daily lives. Anthropologists spent
years living and working in traditional villages and using this deeply embedded per-
spective to provide insights that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to get
from other data collection methods. This form of participatory research evolved into
what we currently call ethnography (Angrosino, 2007).
Ethnography is based in the notion that true understanding of complex human
practices and contexts requires in-depth, engaged study. Individuals often describe
what they do in a way that is not accurate. This may be due to a lack of awareness
or understanding of what they are doing, or individuals may report more socially
acceptable actions than their actual actions (Blomberg et al., 2007). In Section 9.1,
we saw how some research methods were inadequate for developing an understand-
ing of a thoroughly unfamiliar environment. The proposed solution was to become
immersed in the problem, spending significant amounts of time in the working envi-
ronment, talking with the medical staff, watching how things are done, and learning
from being in the world that is being studied. A core belief in ethnography is that “to
gain an understanding of a world that you know little about, you must encounter it
firsthand” (Blomberg et al., 2007).
Participation—in some form—is a critical practice in ethnography. Although
researchers may not realistically be able to act exactly as if they belong to the
group being studied, they try to be as involved as practically and ethically possible.
Anthropologists conducting ethnographic studies of traditional societies live in these
communities for several years, using participation in the activities of daily life as a
means of understanding the dynamics of the group being studied. Section 9.4.2 has a
more in-depth discussion of possible types of participation in an ethnographic study.
Qualitative methods that involve no participation or observation, such as content
analysis and document analysis, are presented in Chapter 11. The focus of this chap-
ter is on traditional ethnography research, which involves some level of observation
or participation.
As a descriptive technique, ethnography is usually inductive, moving from raw
data to the identification of patterns that regularly occur in the data and, often, on to