Ethnography

From Bachelor of Communication Honours Wiki

1 Introduction
2 Methodological Principles
3 Methodologies
4 Practice
5 Ethnography and the internet
6 Ethnography, Qualitative Research & Music
7 References

Introduction

Ethnography is a form of qualitative research which literally means 'to write about people', coming from the Greek words ethnos (people) and grapheis (to write). It is based on anthropology and it has been used as methodology of Design Research since the end of 1980. It approaches to behaviour, belief and preference of people through in depth of observation in natural situation. It researches the result of communication with people, attempting to get an in-depth understanding of how people in various cultures make sense of their lived reality. It is used especially for the market and the understanding of users. This leads to new information about people's cultural position that can help in understanding the subtle differences of behaviour and needs of people rather than giving information which is illiberal and conservative. It is also applied as primary research

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Methodological Principles

The following three principles provide the rationale for specific features of ethnography:

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Naturalism

Gives preference to research conducted in a natural setting (which occurs independently of the research process), allowing natural human characteristics to be viewed, as opposed to those generated through artificial settings. The researcher should attempt to minimise their impact on the participants and their habitat so the findings can be related more effectively to situations in similar environments. In focusing on the research environment, naturalism suggests that behaviours and practices should all be evaluated contextually.

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Understanding

Human actions differ from physical objects and other forms of animal beings. Humans interpret stimuli and the social world, hence influencing their actions. A researcher can not assume to already know the participant's perspectives as small groups and individuals develop distinctive ways of viewing the world. Ethnography suggests these views need to be understood so that behaviour can be explained and evaluated.

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Discovery

Ethnographers see the research process as one of discovery rather than being limited to exploring existing hypotheses. It has been argued that a researcher may be distracted by assumptions built in to particular hypotheses, and therefore will fail to discover the full extent of their research capabilities. Ethnographers prefer to go into a situation with some general interest which is then defined and altered as the process is carried out.

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Methodologies

First hand observation. (daily life)
Research Interviews
In-depth interviewing
Problem solving
Case studies

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Practice

It has been said that ethnography is particularly relevant in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia with high immigrant ratios. Ethnographic research can help to understand needs and behaviours of various immigrant cultures, and hence can suggest ways to fulfill their needs. This same logic can be applied to organisations looking to fulfill the needs of their target publics.

Ethnographic research is also a common method used when dealing with hard-to-reach or deviant groups. Many ethnographers have focused their works on drug-dealers, gangs, or poor communities or slums for example.

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Ethnography and the internet

As the internet continues to grow in prominence, so do the online communities formed in its presence. These communities are not only created through social-networking sites such as Facebook or Myspace, but through the publishing of shared common interests in a variety of ways. Modern ethnographers have performed many studies based on internet communities and identities. Examples of these include studies on cyber-rape in online chatrooms and pro-anorexia groups who were found to rely on online technologies in order to build and grow common ideologies.

The internet provides acts not only as a new community facilitating tool, but also as a cultural space within itself. The nature of this place depends upon discourse from it's inhabitants - the users. Within these communities, users can find a new identity, their online persona may not always reflect their 'real world' self. Hence it is this new identity or way of being within the online space which much ethnography is focused upon. Typical methods used in online ethnographic research include collecting discourse, exchanging information and interacting with online participants.

It has been said that the internet is not just a place to carry out research, but should also be studied as a tool itself using qualitative research methods in order to partake in a comprehensive ethnographic study within an online setting.

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Ethnography, Qualitative Research & Music

"Our engagement as musicians with the fluidity of sound and music, I argue, can sensitize us to the fluidity of personal and cultural experience, the heart of qualitative research" - Liora Bresler (2005, p. 170, cited in Leavy 2008, p. 101)

Studying music is another form of qualitative research method or as part of ethnography. Music is sometimes used to convey political struggles, cultural, historical and social beliefs and information. By listening and analysing music of a particular culture, researchers gain more fluid observations of social situations (where responses are usually unexpected and unplanned), as music-making and performance are often improvisational.

Ethnomusicologists study other cultures by looking at the social and political context of a song. Philosophers, Theodore Adorno and Jacques Attali acknowledged the importance of music as an agent of social power and social change, something which extends beyond music as merely entertainment (Leavy 2008).

Music is a form of storytelling as it is in Korean performance art - P'ansori which combines singing and storytelling. P'ansori is believed to act as a window into certain aspects of Korea's political and social climate. Therefore the narrative in music makes it a "representational form for social research".

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