1: Introduction to Ethnographic Research; 2: Main Steps of Applied Ethnographic Field Research; 3: Gaining Entry to a Study Site: Getting Started; 4: Social Mapping and Sketch Mapping: Getting the Lay of the Land; 5: Early Phases of Research: Key Informants and Group Discussions; 6: Note Taking and Other Recording: Capturing and Managing the Data; 7: Participant Observation; 8: Sampling and Counting in Ethnographic Research; 9: In-Depth Interviewing: Case Interviews; 10: Free Lists: Getting an Inventory of Things in a Cultural Domain; 11: Pile Sorting and Other Structured Interviews; 12: Analysis of Qualitative Text Data: Basic Steps; 13: Structured Observation of Behaviors and Events; 14: Using Hypothetical Scenarios, Diaries, and Other Special Techniques; 15: Mapping: A Powerful Tool in Ethnographic Research; 16: Qualitative Research Guidelines: RAP, PRA, RRA, FES, and Others; 17: Research Teams and Training in Applied Ethnographic Research; 18: Writing Ethnography: Keeping it Grounded and Inductive; 19: Past, Present, Future: Notes on the History and Future of Applied Ethnography
Pertti J. (Bert) Pelto is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut, USA where he founded the program in medical anthropology. During his career he also served on the faculty of Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, and Washington University. His foundational Anthropological Research: The Structure of Inquiry (1970), in which he argued for a comprehensive mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches, was the first methodology textbook in socio-cultural anthropology and among the first in qualitative research more generally. He is author or editor of many other major books and textbooks, some of which are The Snowmobile Revolution (1973), Technology and Social Change (ed., with H. R. Bernard, 1983), Research Methods in Nutritional Anthropology (with G. Pelto and E. Messer 1989), and Sexuality in the Time of AIDS (ed., with R. Verma, S. Schensul, and A. Joshi, 2004). Dr. Pelto has spent much of the past two decades time in India training and advising research groups and working with HIV/AIDS projects and other applied programmes.
"Pelto has produced an important and unique text which fills a
niche: it teaches research methods to non-researchers in a manner
that is accessible but not insulting. [T]he text would also work
very effectively in a first course on ethnographic methods at the
undergraduate level. Indeed, I will most likely use it in this
manner because, not only is it a highly competent methods text, it
anchors ethnography in the real world issues of poverty and
suffering and shows how research can contribute to solutions. In a
word, Pelto shows us how and why ethnographic enquiry continues to
be relevant to everyone." --James B. Waldram, British Journal of
Psychology
"Techniques, approaches, and rationales for conducting ethnographic
research have evolved greatly from the 20th-century paradigm of
long-term, embedded participant observation. Today's ethnography
increasingly employs a qualitative/quantitative mix and
collaboration across disciplines ranging from health to
environmental studies. Short-term, focused research is becoming the
norm as contracted ethnographers meet deadlines for NGOs and
agencies looking to make informed program changes. In-depth
interviews, still an important tool, are transcribed, coded, and
analyzed. Multidisciplinary teams commonly train local community
members to assist with quick data collection. Pelto (emer., Univ.
of Connecticut) does an outstanding job of covering a wide range of
applied techniques, and providing contextualized examples from many
countries. Clearly described methodologies like RAP (rapid
assessment procedures), FES (focused ethnographic studies), social
mapping, sampling, sketch mapping, free lists, pile sorting, and
diaries are useful at all levels. Likewise, Pelto provides
understandable guidelines for basic skills like gaining entry,
training research teams, recording and organizing data, data coding
and analysis, and writing the final report. Other authors have
tended to focus on a particular specialized method (e.g.,
autoethnography), a particular context (e.g., education), or a
particular skill (e.g., writing field notes). Unlike Han Blommaert
and Dong Jie's Ethnographic Fieldwork: A Beginner's Guide (CH,
Jan'l1, 48-2441), which only gives examples of linguistic fieldwork
only, this volume is a guide to conducting applied ethnographic
research in a multitude of contexts and employing one or more
methodologies from the large repertoire outlined. Helpful
illustrations, text boxes highlighting key concepts, and extensive
references add value. Equally excellent as a course text or in the
field for tackling a thorny research challenge. Summing Up:
Essential. Lower-division undergraduates and above." --CHOICE
"The title of this book could have been: 'Ethnography through the
times;' and who better to tell the story than an experienced
ethnographer, the 'Maestro' who practiced and lived it through most
of his adult life?... For its depth in field experiences and rich
real life examples in innovation in research methods, I wish to
strongly concur with Professor Pelto in recommending this book for
applied research people in the south and north.... To prospective
users, all training institutions should have a few copies in their
library shelves to support research skill training; ethnographic
and other qualitative researchers should have one as their
fieldwork companion, while for action and implementation science
researchers, development agencies, a copy or two for their staffers
would go a long way." --The Qualitative Report
"This book will make a significant addition to any qualitative
researcher's library." --Paul G. Ward, Anthropology and Aging
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