![]() Usually these are mental notes that are first written down sketchily and then written up more fully when there is more time. It is therefore quite active, rather than passive, and is driven by what it is the ethnographer wishes to learn about. This involves an element of standing back intellectually and reflecting on things, writing them down and thus objectifying them, asking directed questions in order to address research questions, and seeking access to groups and situations that another participant might not access. The time may come when you wish to write something they do not agree with, but that is something you will then need to deal with, probably by giving them anonymity or by explaining that you see things differently to them because you are taking a different (broader and scientific) perspectiveĪ participant observer is always there to participate but also to observe, to notice things, to record them, and to try to make sense of what people are saying and doing. The best approach is to let them know you are there to learn about their lives and to tell their stories in a way they would like them to be told. But, with time, people usually come to accept you as long as you show an interest in them and their lives, and are not too forceful, opinionated, or hurried. Becoming accepted can be slow and difficult, and an ethnographer may start off feeling rather silly, or shy, or lonely. He or she may already be an insider, or may need to negotiate becoming one. One of the first things an ethnographer has to do is to gain access to the group or community or lifestyle. ![]() So, joining in, being there, and experiencing life as it is lived are central to ethnography. Nevertheless, ethnography has a common methodology (a theory about how research should be done) that believes the best way to learn about people’s lives is by first-hand experience. Ethnographers also use in-depth interviews and conversations, sharing photographs, walking together, looking at documents like diaries, and even methods such as collecting statistics. The main method of ethnography is participant observation this is joining in with activities in the field and making mental, then written, theoretically informed, observations. ![]()
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