miércoles, 3 de febrero de 2010

Ethnographic Research, a balance between insider's and outsider's points of view.

Based on the academic article "A Synthesis of Etnographic Research" by Michael Genzuk, publicated by the Center for Multilingual and Multicultural Research, University of Southern California.

Ethnography is a research method focused on the descriptive analysis of the distintive features that define a particular culture, such as customs, beliefs and behaviors.
The way how the Ethnography works,refers to a fieldwork that is conducted by a researcher, who is in charge to collect information from the specific cultural environment. The ideal is to gather this information in its most natuaral state, this means the information agents should not be influenciated by any external factor or by the researcher's preconceived ideas.
Some of the most common procedures to collect datas are: observation, interviews and documents.

Eventhogh the ethnographic fieldwork "is a highly personal experience", the researcher must define his/her involvement extent in order to assume an unbiased position during the elaboration of the research.
A complete participation into the observation process entails the researcher develops an insider's view of the issue that is being analyzed, this means he/she can see and feel "what it is like to be part of the group" and can get an accurate understanding of the situation that is being studied.
But in order to elaborate an objective research, the ethnographer should balance his position and describe the experiences, make the analysis and report the findings as an outsider.
Both orientations (the insider and the outsider)should be adopted by the researcher and it is necessary to establish an equilibrium point between them. This actions will allow him to make a more effective research and get more interesting findings.

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