Finding Ethnographies in the SFU Library

Ethnographies are not always easy to find and, in a weird way, that should make you feel better. In order to find an ethnography, you have to know what it is and the definition shifts according to the discipline and what time frame and/or school of thought you're looking at.

What is an ethnography?

There are many definitions of ethnography, but we can start with the following:

Ethnography is an approach to learning about social and cultural life of communities, institutions, and other settings that:

• Is scientific
• Is investigative
• Uses the researcher as the primary tool of data collection
• Uses rigorous research methods and data collection techniques to avoid bias and ensure accuracy of data
• Emphazises and builds on the perspectives of the people in the research setting
• Is inductive, building local theories for testing and adapting them for use both locally and eslsewhere

From LeCompte, M. & Schensul, J. (1999). Designing and conducting ethnographic research. Thousand Oaks, Calif. : AltaMira Press. (page 1)w11. [GN 345 S35 1999 Bennett Library]

It is important to remember that ethnography is not ethnography unless it incorporates participant-observation in which the researcher both observes the culture/group/milieu and participates in it to learn more.

How do I find an ethnography?

There are several approaches to finding ethnographies; each depending on your knowledge or comfort level with the course material.

1) The "Just Starting Out" method starts with using background information to look up a particular culture. The benefits of this method are that the various encyclopedias, handbooks or guides provide an overview of a specific culture or examine the people who conduct ethnography. And, they almost always point to additional readings including ethnographies.

• Routledge Dictionary of Anthropologists. Bennett Reference GN 20 G3513 2004. Not sure what culture to research? Have a look at this book to find out who has conducted ethnography and what school of thought they belonged to. Because ethnographic field work depends on participant observation, it is impossible to separate the "self" from the research. This book helps situate the anthropologist within their school of thought and helps inform researchers why these scientists came to the conclusions they did based on their education, their influences and their perspectives.
  

  You can also have a look at Anthropology Biography Web which provides brief descriptions of anthropologists and other scientists that have direct influence on the discipline of anthropology.

• Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Bennett Reference GN 307 E53 1991; arranged by culture, subject and geography, this encyclopedia is a good place to start
   
• Handbook of North American Indians. Bennett Reference E 76.2 H36; this hand book series is divided geographically so you can locate First Nations people by area such as the Subarctic, Southwest, Great Basin and so on.
   
• Other good sources of information are subject bibliographies like The Shawnee Indians an Annotated Bibliography. Bennett Library E 99 S35 Z958.
   
• Browse relevant journals available online:
  
  
  • Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
  • Ethnography

  Print copies of these journals, are kept with the Bound Journals (6th Floo, Bennett Library).

2) The "I know what I want, just give me the goods" method assumes you've done some background reading and have a feel for the culture or group you're interested in researching further.

Search the library's catalogue  Using keywords like either 'ethnography' or 'ethnology'  in combination with the name of the people you're researching or the geographic region in which they live.

• Example #1: ethnograph* and blackfoot
• Example #2: ethnograph* and "great basin
• Example #3: ehtnolog* and (blackfoot or great basin) if you want to get fancy. The "*" will pick up all variations of a word like canada, canadian, canadians and so on. The parantheses are like creating a second search box when you only have one at hand and allows you to look for synonyms or related terms when you're not sure what term will give you the best results.

TIP: "Ethnology" is actually a subject in the library's catalogue. To search only within the subject ethnology, input into the search box S:ethnology AND keyword (name or geographic area) and see what you get. For example:

• S:ethnology and jav*
   

Search databases: Start with eHRAF World Cultures which is wholly comprised of ethographic material and allows you to focus on specific aspects of a known culture such as  demography, economy, social organization and more.

Here are some good examples of ethnographies in the Bennett Library:

• Argonauts of the Western Pacific / Bronislaw Malinowski. Bennett Library GN 671 N5 M3
• Maps and Dreams / Hugh Brody. Bennett Library E 99 T75 B76
• The !Kung San : Men, Women, and Work in a Foraging Society / Richard Lee. Bennett Library DT 797 L43

Additional definitions and "how to" resources

Warren, C.A.B. (2001). Ethnography. In Encyclopedia of Sociology. (Vol. 2, 2 ed., pp. 852-856) New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Agar, M.H. Ethnography. (2004). In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. (pp. 4857-4862). Retrieved January 24, 2008, from Science Direct.

Handbook of ethnography. Bennett & Surrey Reference GN 345 H365 2001

Ethnography (4 vols.). Bennett Library GN 345 E747 2001

• Volume 1: The Nature of Ethnography
• Volume 2: Ethnographic Fieldwork Practice
• Volume 3: Issues in Ethnography
• Volume 4: Analysis and Writing in Ethnography

Designing and conducting ethnographic research. Bennett Library GN 345 S35 1999 Vol.1 of Ethnographer's Toolkit series (7 volumes).