NUPEL Área 03 2022 Out Ethnography (1)

Prévia do material em texto

NUPEL – UFBA.Área.03.06/10/2022. 
1) Segundo o texto, a diferença entre métodos tradicionais e a etnografia é que o método etnográfico permite que o pesquisador 
capture dados ocupando os papéis de participante ativo e observador passivo. Considerando instrumentos de coleta de dados e 
interações em campo, como o etnógrafo concilia estes dois papéis ao mesmo tempo? (2,0 pontos – 10 linhas) 
2) O que Murchison (2010) argumenta sobre a etnografia hoje e o que tal argumento indica no tocante ao que a abordagem 
etnográfica tem se tornado? (2,0 pontos – 8 linhas) 
3) Como procediam os primeiros etnógrafos e o que difere de como se faz os etnografia nos dias atuais? (2,0 pontos – 8 linhas) 
4) Sem ultrapassar o limite de linhas, faça um resumo do texto. (4,0 pontos - 21 linhas) 
 
Understanding Ethnography 
By Maureen E. Sheridan. Understanding Ethnography. (https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/) 
 
Defining Ethnography - At its most basic core, 1 
ethnography is "writing about people." Ethnography is a 2 
research method that permits researchers to explore and 3 
examine the cultures and societies that are a vital part of the 4 
human experience. This chapter will broaden the reader's 5 
understanding of what ethnography is and gives a brief 6 
history of its origin. Chapter One looks to inform the reader 7 
about how researchers are utilizing modern contemporary 8 
ethnography. In recent years, it has become more relevant in 9 
multiple disciplines in the field of social sciences. Its 10 
popularity has grown in use due to its ability to collect data 11 
on living subjects from a first-hand perspective (Alasuutari, 12 
1995; Bryman, 2004; Ladner, 2014; Murchison, 2010; Tombro, 2016). 13 
Approaching research with the ethnographic 14 
method may be unlikely for researchers who are not yet 15 
acquainted to it and, instead, approach research in a more 16 
traditional way. Yet, we find that ethnography can be an 17 
essential approach for many researchers looking to evaluate 18 
and investigate basic social circumstances (Schensul & LeCompte, 2012). At 19 
times ethnography is the best tool to use to explore ongoing 20 
events in context where other methods, such as controlled 21 
experiments or collections of quantifiable data do not. 22 
Most scientific research strategies are typically done 23 
from the perspective of a detached observer. The difference 24 
between these traditional methods and ethnography is that 25 
the ethnographic method allows the researcher to capture 26 
data in the role of active participant and passive observer. So 27 
how does one reconcile being active and passive at the same 28 
time? The ethnographer gathers data through observation, 29 
interviews, fieldnotes, and mapping as well as gains insight 30 
through firsthand involvement with research subjects or 31 
participants (Alasuutari, 1995; Anderson, 1994; Murchison, 2010; Tombro, 2016; Van 32 
Mannen, 2003). The ethnographer mainly conducts research by 33 
interacting with other people who are part of the study. This 34 
partnership or interaction takes on many forms, from 35 
conversations and interviews to participating in shared 36 
rituals, symbols, artifacts, and emotional experiences. The 37 
ethnographer actively participates and gathers information 38 
while, at the same time, tries to remain an objective observer. 39 
Studying Cultural Phenomena - Like 40 
ethnographic frameworks infused into the social sciences, it 41 
has been noted that the best way to study social and cultural 42 
phenomena is to study them in action. The complexity of 43 
humans and their social interactions cannot be captured in a 44 
picture or sterile laboratory as there are no strict control of 45 
variables in ethnography. Analyzing initial data collection 46 
and comparing the experiences captured over time may 47 
result in the researcher having to tweak the research process. 48 
This comes after viewing conflicts over time as well as other 49 
variables found within the environment under investigation. 50 
Ethnographers employ multiple research techniques and 51 
methods in a complex research strategy that matches the 52 
complexity of the living objects under investigation (Bryman, 53 
2004; Ladner, 2014; Tombro, 2016). 54 
An important thing to note is that ethnography is 55 
not a static process. And that it occurs over a prolonged 56 
period of time of weeks, months, or even years. 57 
Ethnographic research incorporates multiple types of 58 
research methods and techniques from active participation to 59 
passive observation and can incorporate interviews, focus 60 
groups, note taking, and mapping, among others. This is why 61 
ethnography is not usually the research method of choice by 62 
many social scientists. Social scientists in the past have 63 
chosen to use surveys, static interviews, focus groups but 64 
using them as singular events, etc. However, the 65 
ethnographic research method has gained traction as social 66 
science trends continue to indicate. Murchison (2010) argued 67 
that "today, researchers employ ethnography as a research 68 
strategy in a number of disciplines, including anthropology, 69 
sociology, and education, and as a practical research strategy 70 
in marketing, management, and public policy arenas" (p. 4). 71 
This demonstration of widespread use indicates that the 72 
utility of the approach has become evident in many different 73 
situations where a better understanding of social and cultural 74 
dynamics is desired. 75 
Maintaining a Naïve State of Mind as a First-76 
Hand Observer - Early ethnographers wrote about what 77 
they saw and heard but did not go into detail to describe how 78 
they captured their research data or formed their conclusion. 79 
Most early ethnographic accounts did not include the method 80 
of research collection as part of the description in the 81 
research study. It was believed that the pioneers of 82 
ethnography did not fully understand research practices 83 
(Anderson, 1994; Averill, 1996; Murchison, 2010; Tombro, 2016; Van Mannen, 2003). 84 
Another consideration was that most of earlier ethnographic 85 
reports were done in places that required the researcher to 86 
travel many miles away from their homeland and study 87 
groups of individuals who likely did not speak the same 88 
language. Early ethnography ignored much of the 89 
complexity found in the human experience. Instead it made a 90 
lot of assumptions based on the researcher's own personal 91 
bias or their lack of understanding about the phenomena 92 
under investigation. Today, the ethnographer tries to avoid 93 
bringing in their personal biases and instead remain in a 94 
naïve state of mind. They try not to assume or manipulate 95 
what the outcome will be. 96 
The fundamental assumption in ethnography’s 97 
commitment to remaining attractive as a method of research 98 
is that certain types of information are only obtainable 99 
through first-hand experience. The belief that ethnography 100 
affords the researcher a better understanding of a particular 101 
place or culture under investigation stems from the fact that 102 
the researcher acts as both participant and observer. A 103 
survey, for example, is an instrument that can provide a 104 
researcher rich information about demographics, political 105 
opinions, economic activities, and many other things. A 106 
survey can yield a multitude of useful information but must 107 
be well designed and administered properly. The benefit of a 108 
survey instrument is that it can be carried out fairly quickly 109 
and it may even be conducted at a distance using standard or 110 
electronic means of communication such as telephones, mail, 111 
or through the Internet. 112 
[…] 113 
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