The word 'ethnography' is derived from the Greek "ethnos", meaning a people, nation, or cultural group etc. and "graphy" meaning writing.
It refers to a first hand descriptive work of a particular group/culture based on the immersive observations of the researcher.
Example
The Forest People by Many ethnographic works are available to you in print/electronic format and you can find these using Library Search and the databases A-Z list.
Not all ethnographies will contain the term "ethnography" in the book title or description, so you will have to think about other ways to find relevant ethnographic materials.
Here are some examples of online search techniques you can try. Youc an use combinations and variations of these suggestions in order to pinpoint the materials you need.
You will always have to examine the books and materials you find through your online searching to make sure they are ethnographies / ethnographic studies.
e.g. ethnograph* and welsh communities
e.g. ethnograph* and china
e.g. ethnograp* and muslim women
e.g. ethnograp* and animal
ethnograph* has been used to find variant word endings, e.g. ethnography, ethnographies, ethnographic
You could also use ethnolog* for ethnology, ethnologies, ethnologic etc.
e.g. "case study" and muslim women
e.g. "social anthropology" and navajo
e.g. "case study" and zoo
The quotation marks "..." have been used for phrase searching, i.e. your search terms must appear next to each other in that exact order.
e.g. "social life and customs" and British expatriates
e.g. "social life and customs" and aborigines
e.g. kinship and welsh communities
e.g. marriage rituals and south america
e.g. religio* and london immigrants
e.g. ritual* and animal* and death
e.g. In the Anthropology Online database you can select ethnography as a content type when searching.
Sample search: "social anthropology" and food and ritual and hindu* and ethnography
The results have also been refined by selecting the Anthropology subject area
Note that both book and journal articles are available.
Sample search: Advanced Search option used
"Africa" selected in Place Terms Index list & Ethnography & Field Notes selected as Content Types
You will find many book length ethnographies within the Social Sciences section of the Forum Library on Level -1. The 300s section holds materials relating to Sociology and Anthropology.
For example: this work ethnographic work is found at 152.42KAV in the Forum Library which is within the Psychology section.
You will find that some materials are located within the topic/subject section to which they relate, evn though they may be an ethnographic study. So be prepared to branch out beyond the 300s section in the library
Values of Happiness by
How people conceive of happiness reveals much about who they are and the values they hold dear. Drawing on ethnographic insights from diverse field sites around the world, this book offers a unique window onto the ways in which people grapple with fundamental questions about how to live and what it means to be human. Developing a distinctly anthropological approach concerned less with gauging how happy people are than with how happiness figures as an idea, mood, and motive in everyday life, the book explores how people strive to live well within challenging or even hostile circumstances. The contributors explore how happiness intersects with dominant social values as well as an array of aims and aspirations that are potentially conflicting, demonstrating that not every kind of happiness is seen as a worthwhile aim or evaluated in positive moral terms. In tracing this link between different conceptions of happiness and their evaluations, the book engages some of the most fundamental questions concerning human happiness: What is it and how is it achieved? Is happiness everywhere a paramount value or aim in life? How does it relate to other ideas of the good? What role does happiness play in orienting peoples' desires and life choices? Taking these questions seriously, the book draws together considerations of meaning, values, and affect, while recognizing the diversity of human ends.
The title of the book alone will not be sufficient to flag all the relevant material encompassed in the book. For example you may be looking for discussion of childhood or education topics and these terms may not appear in the book title which might be framed around family or communities or the groups under discussion.
Examples :
Welsh Communities by
A detailed study of diverse aspects of ethnography in Welsh communities comprising 10 essays exploring social and cultural changes and networks in both rural and industrial areas within and outside Wales, together with comments on the effects of in-migration on community structure.
It is not obvious from this book title, exactly which aspects of welsh communities are included.
If you hover over the i (information icon) you get a brief picture, but you will find that the contents page and the index at the back of the book are invaluable aids if you want to pinpoint discussion of particular aspects of welsh community life such as family, farming, masculinity, Welsh language etc.
Contents Page
Index pages
At Home in the Okavango by
An ethnographic portrayal of the lives of white citizens of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, this book examines their relationships with the natural and social environments of the region. In response to the insecurity of their position as a European-descended minority in a postcolonial African state, Gressier argues that white Batswana have developed cultural values and practices that have allowed them to attain high levels of belonging. Adventure is common for this frontier community, and the book follows their safari lifestyles as they construct and perform localized identities in their interactions with dangerous wildlife, the broader African community, and the global elite via their work in the nature-tourism industry.
And in this example, you can see how helpful the index is, in flagging the topics that are addressed in this ethnographic work.
Index
In addition to looking at ethnographic works, you might also be interested in finding out more about 'doing ethnography' in order to understand the research methodology in greater depth. You can find relevant resources by searching Library Search or using the databases.
SAGE Research Methods is a vast research methodology database. You can use it to learn about a wide range of research methods across the social sciences and also to access book and reference works on methodology topic, including aspects of ethnographic research
For example, you can use the Methods Map to learn more about Ethnography as a research method - as well as narrower and broader related research method.
Use the SAGE research methods LibGuide to help you get the best from the resource.
You can also use the online research databases to find books and journal articles related to the science and techniques of ethnography as a research methodology.
You will find find all the databases via the A-Z list.
Use the Anthropology Research Databases online guidance to learn more about finding and using the most relevant databases for anthropology related research.
Listen to Ellen Isaac's short TEDx Brodway talk on Ethnography
University of Exeter LibGuide is licensed under CC BY 4.0
