Ethnography ─ A Way of Seeing

Long a mainstay of qualitative research, the ethnographic method has expanded greatly from is sociological and anthropological roots to applications in such diverse disciplines as education, business and law. Wolcott (anthropology emeritus, U. of Oregon) updates his 1999 text with new commentary on the subtle skill of seeing cultures as they are. He starts by describing the ethnography of the past, including his own past, and describes how ethnography is informed by participant observation, experience and inquiry. He gives applications (from the inside out) and determines why ethnography matters, giving a wide range of examples from the field. He describes research strategy, systematic data collection, ethnographic evaluation, and assessment of culture, along with methods to use in writing and editing output. Accessible and yet also rigorous, this inner-training text would work well for many disciplines other than anthropology. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Harry F. Wolcott is professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon.