On Ethnography Chapter 3

This chapter was a lot more useful to me, and I am finally able to start wrapping my head around exactly what an ethnography is. The basic point of this chapter, I think, is that ethnographers need to know as much as possible about the field of ethnography, and the population and place they are observing before they start their research, and they need to cause as little of disturbance as possible while doing their research.

One of the first steps of doing an ethnography is doing a literature review, or as the author calls them, "literature reviews" of the work that "bear some explicable relevance to work being planned" (49). This is useful because the ethnographer must look at the research done on their topic to determine "where holes and disagreement exist [...] and think about how the proposed work will supplement, resolve, and compliment theories currently available" (52). The idea is that the ethnographer should not say something that has already been said. The ethnographer needs to add to the ongoing conversation that already exist about their topic by either adding something new, thinking about their topic in a new way or in light of new research, changing or reworking older theories, or by creating a new theoretical framework. Heath and street that one's literature review should include the following:

1. Conceptual framework for the research in terms of relevant bodies of theory and reviews of prior field studies
2. Integrated coherent review of the major bodies of work selected.
3. Buildup or lead in to the current study through delineations of how this proposed research differs from that of others and leads toward original contributions to theory. (53)

Ethnographers also have to know in advance how long they have to study their site, when they will be observing their site, and how they will be observing and collecting date (i.e. video-camera, interviews, etc.). Of course, ethnographers also have to get the consent of the people that they are observing.

Of course ethnography isn't a linear activity. It is recursive. Once ethnographers do their initial literature review, it doesn't mean that they are ready to put away the books and just focus on observing alone. Often what happens is that the ethnographer has an initial curiosity on a subject and is interested in doing an ethnography on said subject, then the ethnographer does a literature review to learn as much about his subject as they can and narrow down an area for research that will allow him to contribute something original and meaningful to the already ongoing conversation about their subject, then observe his site which will in turn cause him to ask more questions, and this will lead him into doing more research, which will in turn lead to more observations and questions, and the cycle continues. This cycle could probably go on forever. That is why it is important to set up time frame before beginning the research.

This chapter also focuses a lot on tools of the ethnographer and the ethnographer as a tool. The authors state that "necessary qualities of the best ethnographers [...] include visual acuity, keen listening skills, tolerance for detail, and capacity to integrate innumerable part into shifting holes [... and to] remain silent and communicate only as appropriate by local norms"( 57). Ethnographers also have many other tools available to them, if appropriate, such as technology, and what they authors call "spatial mapping," and "network analysis."

Basically, the bottom line is that the ethnographer needs to be as informed as possible about the field of ethnographer and the research done on her site and population before going to observe.