Ethnography: Step-by-Step

Applied Social Research Methods #17

by David M. Fetterman

This book will publish in a new edition on 10/6/2009. We are no longer supplying instructors with complimentary review copies of this edition.* Please click here to request a review copy of the new edition.



* If you need an urgent desk copy of the existing edition for a class this semester, please call 1-800-818-7243 and we will be pleased to process your request.

Sifting through notepads filled with illegible scrawl, listening to hours of tape recordings, labeling and organizing piles of photographs and slides, and cross-referencing disks of data are all too-familiar pictures to the ethnographic researcher. How does one manage a mountain of data and make meaningful statements? By using the new, updated Ethnography that has proved so reliable to thousand of researchers. This edition takes a step into a new frontier – the Internet – one of the most powerful resources available to ethnographers. The book now provides insights into the uses of the Internet, including conducting searches about topics or sites, collecting census data, conducting interviews by "chatting" and video-conferencing, sharing notes and pictures about research sites, debating issues with colleagues on listservers and in online journals, and downloading useful data and analysis software. Maintained from the First Edition is coverage of the nature of fieldwork, the equipment needed to conduct research, the analysis of data, the differences and similarities between qualitative and quantitative approaches, and writing the report. Throughout the book, author David M. Fetterman provides insights into putting people at ease, research ethics, and sensitivity to other cultures. Popular with readers for the friendly and accessible style of writing, this new edition will be an indispensable resource for doing ethnographic research.

Genres: Anthropology, Ethnography, Nonfiction, Research Methods, Research, Grad School

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1989

Reviews

[Rick Hribko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grad school book. Had to read it.

[أروى محمد الزريعي · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, easy and succinct guide!

[Jonathan Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ethnographic manual not only teaches the practical methods for how to perform an ethnography, but also begins to guide its readers into the mode of thinking ethnographically. As a handbook, Ethnography: Step-by-Step leans a bit heavily on the positivistic side of research, focused on external behaviors rather than on conceptual work, whether on the side of the observer or on the side of those being observed. However, it is a general guide, not linked strongly to any particular ethnographic tradition, so perhaps this approach is appropriate.

[Paul, · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a helpful book on ethnography that loses its way a bit in the last half. The section on technology and on ethics in particular are lacking. But the first 3 chapters (which define some key anthropological concepts and ethnographic methods) as well as chapter 5 (on analysis) are worth reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of ethnography. In particular, the power of the concept of triangulation is crucial.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Offers more of a technical approach to ethnography. Fetterman is much more "applied ethnography." He uses it to study systems and then offer consulting services to that institution about how to address various aspects.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ch 1. Overview basics of classic ethnography research

[Saurabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read for all who wish to conduct ethnographies - simple and very helpful! bible of ethnography!

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an easy introduction to how to do ethnography. Written engagingly with lots of practical advice.

[Whitney Margaritis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good technical read. Lots of good information.