The document introduces ethnography as the study of people within their cultures, emphasizing the significance of understanding social behaviors through various research methods like participant observation and interviews. It discusses challenges in accessing natural settings, researcher bias, and the importance of reflexivity in understanding identity and perspective. The analysis of collected data can be complex, requiring careful interpretation to capture the nuances of social interactions and cultural practices.

1. Introduction to Ethnography Paul Lynch Department of Management University of Strathclyde

2. Definition The study of people in cultures; also the text that is written based on that study ( Sunstein and Chiseri-Strater, 2007)

3. Culture An invisible web of behaviors, patterns, rules, and rituals of a group of people who have contact with one another and share common languages (Sunstein and Chiseri-Strater, 2007: 3)

4. Hortense Powdermaker

5. William Whyte

6. Fieldworking

7. Sub-cultures Computer interest groups Online discussion groups Listservs Library user groups Volleyball teams Dogwalkers DREaM workshop participants Group characteristics Rituals Insider phrases Behaviours

8. Research Methods Participant observation Observation Library and archival research Cultural artefacts Fieldnotes Interviews and transcripts Reflective memos Freewriting Photographs

9. Naturally Occurring Data Allows investigation of the phenomena in their natural setting Provide data which is an ‘enactment’ of social behaviour in its own social setting Of value where behaviours & interactions need to be understood in ‘real’ world contexts

10. “ There’s a hair on my plate. Should I mention it?” Detachment Subjectivity Insider Involvement Objectivity Outsider DREaM project launch conference  British Library Conference Centre 19th July 2011

11. Naturally Occurring Data Issues and Challenges Access to the natural setting & ‘fitting in’ Avoid contamination of the social setting Researcher’s bias in interpretation Need to surface social politics of the research Example: A 45 year old male teetotal academic observing the alcohol drinking habits and social behaviours of 18-21 year old females in a night club

12. Reflexivity Who am I? Politics of identity? Values? Assumptions? Worldviews?

13. Generated Data Involves reconstruction Requires re-processing & retelling of attitudes, beliefs, behaviour or other phenomena The experience, thought, event, behaviour etc. is mentally re-processed & verbally recounted by study participants Gives insight into people’s own perspectives Example: What are your alcohol drinking habits and social behaviours when you are out with your friends at a night club

14. Generated Data Issues and Challenges Accessibility to research participants that meet sample criteria Is the recounting of the research phenomenon likely to be sufficiently detailed, accurate or complete? What version of the ‘story’ does the research participant want to make public? Ethics Example: A focus group of 18-21 year olds talking in front of a researcher of similar socio-demographic profile to their mothers about their alcohol drinking habits and social behaviours when out with friends at a night club

15. Data Analysis Analysis is open to emergent concepts & ideas Multiple readings - immersion Various styles: Documentary analysis; Conversation analysis; Discourse analysis; Thematic; Line-by-line coding…

16. Writing Up Outputs: focus on the interpretation of social meaning through mapping & re-presenting the social world of research participants Multiple versions Thick description (Geertz, 1973) Audiencing

17. Key Elements Purposive selection How do you know what is important to study? Aims to provide an in-depth & interpreted understanding of the social world Data collection methods usually involve close interaction researcher/research participants Data is detailed, information rich & extensive

18. References Bishop, W. (2011) Ethnographic Writing Research: Writing it Down, Writing it Up, and Reading it, Heinemann Bryant, J. (2009) What are students doing in our library? Ethnography as a method of exploring library user behaviour, Library and Information Research, 33(102): 3-9. Clark, D. The Raw and the Rotten: Punk Cuisine. In C. Counihan and P. Van Esterik, Food and Culture: A Reader, Routledge, London, pp. 411-422. Davies, B. (2003) Reflexive Ethnography: A Guide to Researching Selves and Others, Routledge, London. Ethnography.com, http://www.ethnography.com/ Fetterman, D. (1998) Ethnography: Step by Step, Sage, London.

19. Geertz, C. (1973) The Interpretation of Cultures , Basic Books, New York. Hammersley, M. and Atkinson, P. (1995) Ethnography: Principles in Practice, Routledge, London. Laurier, E., Whyte, A. and Buckner, K. (2001) An Ethnography of Neighbourhood Café: Informality, Table Arrangements and Background Noise. Journal of Mundane Behavior , 2, 1-30 Available at: http://www.mundanebehavior.org/issues/v2n2/laurier.html Lynch, P.A. (2005) Sociological Impressionism In A Hospitality Context, Annals of Tourism Research, 32(3): 527-548. Miles, M., Huberman, A. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis, Sage, London.

20. Sunstein, B. and Chiseri-Strater, E. (2007) FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research, Bedford/St Martin’s, Boston. Whyte, W. F. (1943) Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum, Chicago University Press, Chicago.