Team Ethnographies in Studying Crime and Criminal Justice

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the team ethnography approach and how scholars have used it to study crime, drug use, and deviance. Studies employing ethnographic methods of inquiry help us to understand crime from the perspective of those who engage in it. Generally, an ethnographer is a solitary investigator who goes out into the field alone, collects data alone, and returns home to write about it alone. There is no denying the insights gained about culture, structure, and human agency offered by such approaches. However, there are serious limitations to the solitary approach to ethnographic research, including quality control. To combat a number of issues associated with solitary ethnographies, some advocate working in teams (from pairs to larger groups) when working in the field. After providing overviews of several key team ethnographies of crime and drug use, we discuss some of the promises and pitfalls of the methodology. Specifically, we elaborate on how both researchers and participants may benefit from such an approach as well as point out some of the pitfalls to avoid. We supplement this section with examples from team ethnographies and our own personal experiences working with others in the field. We conclude by pointing to the larger benefits of team ethnographies and call for scholars to embrace the method.