Ethnographic Methods

Ethnography isn't a prescribed set of methods - it's a methodology that acknowledges the complexity of human experience and the need to research it by close and sustained observation of human behaviour.

In this comprehensive, yet concise introduction, Karen O'Reilly introduces the reader to the technical, practical and philosophical issues that arise when employing traditional and innovative research methods in relation to human agents. She invites the reader to engage in reflexive and creative research that draws critically and creatively from the full range of qualitative methods.

Using case studies of students' work to illustrate the dilemmas and resolutions that an ethnographic researcher may encounter, this textbook guides the reader from the initial design and planning stages through to the analysis and writing-up. It explores the historical and philosophical foundations of ethnographic research and goes on to cover a range of relevant topics such as participant observation, qualitative interviews, (focus) group interviews and visual data collection and analysis.

Designed primarily for undergraduates, this book incorporates complex methodological debates which will also engage more experienced researchers, perhaps coming to ethnography for the first time.

Karen O'Reilly is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, where she teaches methodology and core sociology.