EthnographyThe art of deep hanging out

Sarah TynenGEOG 5161- Research

DesignDr. Ken Foote

Geomethodology Presentation

March 4, 2013

Techniques: Mapping

Mapping

Techniques: Interviews

StrengthsEmbraces the subjectivity of the researcher as an

important source of contextualizing knowledge

Studies the human experience on a firsthand basis

Reveals the nuances of everyday practices

Situates the researcher and research subjects as an integral part of guiding and experiencing the research process

Allows the research design to evolve according to what is important to the research subject

WeaknessesCan be limiting without critical reflexivity

Can perpetuate unequal power relations

Focusing on observation and conversation can lead us to forget to analyze what is unseen and left unsaid

Can lead to overgeneralization

Ethical considerations

SourcesCloke, Paul, Ian Cook, Philip Crang, Mark Goodwin, Joe Painter, and Chris Philo. 2004. Practising human geography. London: Sage Publications.

Dowling, Robyn. 2005. Power, subjectivity, and ethics in qualitative Research. In Qualitative research methods in human geography, ed. Iain Hay, 19-29. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dunn, Kevin. 2005. Interviewing. In Qualitative research methods in human geography, ed. Iain Hay, 79-105. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Elwood, Sarah and Deborah Martin. 2000. Placing interviews: Location and scales of power in qualitative research. The Professional Geographer 52 (no. 4): 649-657.

Hennink, Monica. 2008. Language and communication in cross-cultural qualitative research. Doing Cross-Cultural Research 34 (no. 1): 21-33.

Kitchin, Rob, and Nicholas Tate. 2000. Conducting research in human geography: Theory, methodology and practice. London: Prentice Hall.

Megoran, Nick. 2006. For ethnography in political geography: Experiencing and re-imaging Ferghana Valley boundary closures. Political Geography 25: 622-640.

Murchison, Julian. 2010. Ethnography essentials: Designing, conducting, and presenting your research. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.