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Being Ethnographic
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Being Ethnographic
A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ethnography

Second Edition


October 2017 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Being Ethnographic is an essential introductory guidebook to the methods and applications of doing fieldwork in real-world settings. It discusses the future of ethnography, explores how we understand identity, and sets out the role of technology in a global, networked society.

Driven by classic and anecdotal case studies, this new Second Edition highlights the challenges introduced by the ethnographers' own interests, biases and ideologies, and demonstrates the importance of methodological reflexivity. Addressing both the why and how questions of doing ethnography well, author Raymond Madden demonstrates how both theory and practice can work together to produce insights into the human condition. Filled with invaluable advice for applying ethnographic principles in the field, this fully updated text will give researchers across social sciences everything they need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

 
Section One: Key Concepts and Theoretical Frames
 
Chapter 1: ‘Definitions’, methods and applications
Characterising ethnography

 
Reflexivity

 
Intersubjectivity

 
Methods

 
Practical and conceptual origins

 
Applications and ethics

 
 
Chapter 2: Ethnographic fields: home and away
Making place: what is an ethnographic field?

 
Some favourite fields

 
Ethnography at home

 
Multisited and un-sited ethnography

 
 
Section Two: Doing Ethnography
 
Chapter 3: Talking to people: negotiations, conversations and interviews
Negotiation

 
Conversation

 
Interviewing

 
 
Chapter 4: Being with people: participation
Immersion ethnography

 
Step-in-step-out ethnography

 
Embodiment and the ethnographer

 
The ethical participant

 
 
Chapter 5: Looking at people: observations and images
The ethnographic gaze

 
The systematic eye

 
Visual ethnography

 
Seeing is believing

 
 
Section Three: Inscription
 
Chapter 6: Description: writing ‘down’ fieldnotes
Writing ‘down’

 
The systematic hand

 
What goes into notebooks

 
Examples of fieldnotes

 
 
Chapter 7: Analysis to interpretation: writing ‘out’ data
Organising primary data

 
Organising secondary data

 
Writing ‘out’ data

 
 
Chapter 8: Interpretation to story: writing ‘up’ ethnography
The storied reality

 
Author and audience

 
Writing as the continuation of interpretation

 
Structure in an ethnographic story

 
Style in ethnographic writing

 
 
Section Four: Expanding Ethnography
 
Chapter 9: Conclusion: ethnographic horizons
Review

 
Cyber Ethnography

 
Non-human ethnography

 

With a vivid writing style, Madden uses stories from the field to illustrate how fascinating conducting ethnography can be.

Hanne Kirstine Adriansen
Education, Aarhus University

This new edition is an even more excellent addition to ethnographic literature than the previous edition. With an accessible, stimulating style, it draws richly on the author’s ethnographic experiences, identifying their benefits and pitfalls, and discusses ethnographic uses of technology, virtual environments and different aspects of non-human ethnography.

Peter Sercombe
Applied Linguistics and Communication, Newcastle University

an excellent book for students who are interested in using blogs as a means of qualitative research. This book is easy to understand and useful at all levels of research

Patsy Morgan
Southampton Solent Business School, Southampton Solent University
December 26, 2018

An excellent ethnographic text. Informative, interesting and extremely well-written. Am enjoyable read and at the same time an informative 'how to' for those conducting ethnographic research.

Mrs Angela Mazzetti
HRM and Organisational Studies, Newcastle University
May 6, 2019

one of my favorites!

Ms Roswitha Kersten-Pejanic
Department Of Slavic Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin
March 16, 2018

The book is very student-friendly and provides a stimulating and rich introduction to ethnography. It draws from the experience of the author and its many case studies are particularly useful for students from various disciplines (e.g. geography, tourism, leisure studies) interested in anthropology.

Mr Nick Naumov
Northampton Business School, Northampton University
November 1, 2017

An excellent and well-written introduction to a very complex area of research using many relevant examples drawn from the author's own practice.

Mr Paul Demetriou-Crane
Education, Havering College of Further and Higher Education
October 23, 2017
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • New material on intersubjectivity
  • Information on digital inscription tools
  • A practical guide to qualitative analysis software
  • New coverage of cyberethnography and social media
  • Expanded information on ethnographic possibilities with animals

For instructors

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ISBN: 9781526416834

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