Ethnography

Abstract

Ethnography is a powerful qualitative research method used to understand research informants’ perspectives on a health-related topic. Developed and pioneered by anthropologists, this method has become an important tool across disciplines and industries. This chapter explains the utility of the method for use in the health humanities and offers step-by-step instructions to teach the reader to conduct ethnographic research. Concrete examples from long-term research projects demonstrate not only how this method is used to answer “why” and “how” questions, but also how this type of research pairs with other research methods. Many tools are offered to the reader to assist in the development of ethnographic research skills including resources, references, and an exercise to teach the method.