What's Wrong with Ethnography?

by Martyn Hammersley

This stimulating and refreshing study, written by one of the leading commentators in the field, provides novel answers to these crucial questions.
"What's Wrong With Ethnography provides a fresh look at the rationale for and distinctiveness of ethnographic research in sociology, education and related fields, and succeeds in slaying a number of currently fashionable sacred cows. Relativism, critical theory, the uniqueness of the case study and the distinction between qualitative and quantitative research are all examined and found wanting as a basis for informed ethnography. The policy and political implications of ethnography are a particular focus of attention. The author compels the reader to reexamine some basic methodological assumptions in an exciting way," Martin Bulmer, London School of Economics.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 1991

Reviews

[Meg]

This is not a book you can simply review on a platform like Goodreads. I'd hoped it might relate a bit more to my field, and while the essay on quantitative/qualitative methodology is interesting, the book over all was not that helpful. It's also heavily academic in a way that makes his material difficult to approach without a graduate level understanding of sociology. I may be from a related social science field, but there was a lot that went over my head.

No stars given, not because it's "bad," but more because the audience is very narrowly defined and I do not feel qualified enough for such an evaluation.