ETHNOGRAPHY

ETHNOGRAPHY

“Is a qualitative methodology that lends itself to the study

of the beliefs, social interactions, and behaviors of small
societies, involving participation and observation over a
period of time, and the interpretation of the data collected.”
(Denzin and Lincoln, 2011)

“[…] The emphasis in ethnographic research is on

documenting or portraying the everyday experiences of
individuals by observing and interviewing them and relevant
others.”
(Frankel & Wallen, 2006)
 Naturalistic
Ethnographic Observation
Research

Detailed description of
events, as well as finding an
insight into their meaning
(description + analysis)

Inductive analysis
Subjective Experiences to allow research findings to
(of research subjects) emerge from the frequent or
significant themes inherent in
raw data
 Aim
Aim Of Ethnographic Research

 To identify behavior
patterns and anticipate;
to make the reader
understand the
perspective of the native
to the culture studied
(Fetterman, 1998)
 Understand context,
complexity, and politics
of social processes
(Warren, 2004)
INTEL employs full-time ethnographers to research computer
use in the home, at work, and in the mobile space
(i.e., digital content creation practices)
 Key Characteristics Of Ethnographic Research

Descriptive nature

Cultural themes

A culture-sharing group:
• Vary in size
• Interacts on regular basis
• Interacted over a period of time
• Representative of a larger group

Examination of shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and

language
 Key Characteristics Of Ethnographic Research

Fieldwork researcher gathers data in the setting where

the participants are located and where their shared
patterns can be studied

Types of data
• Emic data (data supplied by the participants)
• Etic data (ethnographer’s interpretation of participant’s
perspectives)
• Negotiation data (information participants and researcher agree
to use in a study)

Forms of data: Observations, Interviews, Documents

 Key Characteristics Of Ethnographic Research

Setting, situation, or
environment that
surrounds the cultural
group being studied

 History, religion, politics,

economy, the environment,
physical location
 Key Characteristics Of Ethnographic Research

Reflexivity:

“In conducting ethnographic research,pay attention to the

ethnographic self. Remember, you're not just researching
others. The ethnographer is simultaneously involved in
biographical work of their own, because they are part of
and interacting with the field setting.”
(Gray 2018).
 Swell: movimiento de fondo
marino que genera olas
Surfers in Barranquilla
(2011) Bro: brother (manera común
de llamarse entre amigos)
Garulla: persona que corre las
olas repetidamente, sin
importarle si los otros han
corrido o no, puede decirse que
es algo egoísta.
Kook: persona principiante,
nivel menor que un amateur
Glassy: ola y mar azul o verde,
transparente.
ARTIFACTS

 Surfboard
 Wax
 Weed
Swell 15/12/2011
Bolsillo y pradomar. Alta brisa. Lluvia. Corriente fuerte.

El día de hoy se lograron grandes avances. Se logró

profundizar la relación con XXXX, surfer desde hace 6 años,
gran amigo de XXXXX y XXXXX y del resto de surfistas de mi
generación, es un buen logro ya que él ha sido el más
abierto a tener una amistad conmigo lo que me brinda
inclusión en el grupo. Identifico a XXXXX como el personaje
clave para acercarme a esta generación y XXXXX como
personaje clave para la generación anterior a la nuestra,
para la generación más vieja trabajaremos con XXXXX.
 REWARDS

 Treat you like a local

 Greeting you
 Invite you to new surf spots
 Invite you to surf with them
 Tips
 Invitation to the blackberry group (the purpose
of the group is to communicate the conditions of
the sea, to know when to surf and where
 SITUATIONS CONDUCING TO PUNISHMENTS:
 Getting into the waves of other people
 Shorts not suitable for surfing
 Surf only at spots that are for beginners
 Make affirmations of conditions and/or any other
type of affirmations that the group considers a lie
 Showing and letting yourself be controlled by fear
 Only going when there are excellent conditions
 Not getting up early in the morning and / or just go
late in the afternoon
For all these actions, the group will reject the person, not
including him* in any type of activity. The group will behave
somewhat aggressive towards that person.
RECOGNITION/AFFILIATION RITUALS:
 Jumping off the dock (muelle Pto. Colombia)
 Jumping to the ‘bolsillo’
 Surfing high demand spots (‘bolsillo’, punta roca)
 Surfing in difficult conditionsor with a higher risk
 Showing that you have a good level of surfing
(although it is not the same as someone advanced)
 Going to the beach as much as possible
 Travelling to Tayrona
*The closest group of friends smoke weed at the
bolsillo. It can be said that the moment is quite special
and only shared with the closest ones.
Key Issues For The Research
1. Setting goals
• Decide how to collect data
2. Identifying participants
• Decide who to gather data from
3. Relationship with participants
• Clear and professional
• Informed consent when appropriate
4. Triangulation
• Look at data from more than one perspective
• Collect more than one type of data, i.e., interviews,
observations, video diaries
 The ethnographic interview
approach focuses on what
people say. It is a strategy for
getting people to talk about
what they know.
 It’s about describing culture
in its own terms!
 The researcher wants to
discover patterns of meaning
in what the informant says.
“hey fueron culo de olitas, solo estábamos yo, el
XXXX y XXXX y un llave que está aprendiendo,
mientras estábamos en el bolsillo mi amigo un kook
subió y se le atravesó sin querer a XXXX, XXXX y el
XXXX le dijeron ¨hey si no sabes surfear vete para
abajo, no surfees aquí¨ a mí eso me rayó full,
después cogí una ola y les aterricé un aéreo en la
cara, los dejó opacados pa que dejen de bollonear,
llevaron zapato, esos manes siempre son así, culo de
bollones y quieren estar peleando con todo el
mundo”
You are studying a (sub)culture
that you are not familiar with—
You lack the native’s take it for
granted type of cultural
knowledge.
 The Ethnographic Questionnaire
• Helping to collect samples of an informant’s
Descriptive language or use of words
Questions • “Could you describe a typical day of surf
practice?

• Help in discovering how informants organize

cultural knowledge
Structural
• “Can you think of any other activities you do
Questions while being at the beach?”
• Always important to examine and repeat

• Allows for the discovery of dimensions of

meaning used to distinguish between objects
Contrast and events
Questions • “You mentioned goofy and kook surfer, what’s
the difference between them?”
Expanding the length of the question expands the length
of the response:

• “Could you tell me what surfing is like?

Vs.
• I have never surfed, so I don’t have much of an idea of
what it is like. Could you kind of take me through it and
tell me what it’s like, what I would see if I went into the
water and swim to find and surf a wave?

Trying to get the informants to tell you as much as they

can in greater detail!
Be even more specific and ask the informant to
provide an example:

• Informant: “I was shoulder hopped by this

guy.”
• Ethnographer: “Could you give me an
example of shoulder hopping?”

Doing so may lead to interesting stories of actual

events
Ethnography DOES NOT:

Make value judgments

Search for who is good
or bad
Take sides
Justify situations
Search for culprints
Micromicrocelebrity: Branding Babies on the Internet

By Crystal Abidin

Through self-branding
techniques, Influencer
mothers’ portrayals of
their young’ children’s
lives “as lived” are the
canvas on which (baby)
products and services
are marketed to readers
as “advertorials”.
The Ethnographic Process

• A question or
concern is identified observe
for study
• A group to study is
identified
– Typically small analyze register
– Typically purposively
selected
 learned subjective
idealized socially shared
moral system
transmitted
cumulative
dynamic roles perdurable
values
CONSUMPTION CULTURE
beliefs norms signs codes
high/low contexts language
artifacts interaction rituals
institutions myths
punishment rewards