Quiz sur l'ethnographie et l'anthropologie

Ethnographie

• Ethnography is a fundamental anthropological method, developed in the late 19th century, focusing on human groups.
• It's a qualitative approach, also known as participant observation, aiming to understand daily life by immersing oneself in the subjects' environment.
• Often the subjects of study are vulnerable or marginalized individuals. Examples such as Erving Goffman's study in a psychiatric ward illustrate how ethnographic observation can unveil lived realities regarding social stigmas.
• Ethnographic studies consider how cultural contexts might influence collected data.
• Ethnography is impacted by various theoretical frameworks which influence researchers choice of methodologies and research subjects.
• Examples of these frameworks include positivism, critical theory. and constructivism.
• Ethnography provides insight into mental health, exploring concepts like madness, trances, shamanism, and possession within specific social contexts.

Steps in Ethnographic Research

• Choosing the Study Area: Researchers select a community or group appropriate to their research question, building trust with participants – because their perceptions of the role will influence participation and access to information.
• Data Collection Tools: Methods include direct observation, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, deep interviews, life stories, informal dialogues, and collecting personally created material or records (photos, videos).
• Observation in the Field: The researcher adopts a neutral stance in order to capture the complexity of social interactions. This method utilizes a mix of data collection tools in order to achieve robust triangulation of research findings.

Field Journal

• A field journal is a critical tool that ethnologists utilize. It's a detailed record of observations during interactions (e.g., homes, workplaces, parks) that provides insights into the dynamics of social contexts.
• Used to generate, test, and categorize hypotheses.
• Record insights, personal reactions, participant responses, observed interactions, and daily occurrences.

Data Management and Analysis

• Indexing and Coding: Organising and categorizing collected information to identify patterns and themes in the data.
• End of Research: Research concludes when no new significant information emerges from further observations.

Criteria for Scientific Rigour

• Methodological rigor: Scientific rigor in ethnographic research demands meticulous methods and a strong theoretical basis.
• Interpretive value: Ethnographic analysis must incorporate thoughtful interpretation to provide rich contextual understanding of observed behaviors.
• Modernist vs Postmodernist approaches: Comparison of two distinct theoretical frameworks, which are reflected in approaches to ethnography.  
• Hermeneutic approach: Employing multiple complementary models to analyse complex phenomena in ethnography.