Ethnografie

Ethnografie, also known as ethnography, is a qualitative research method in anthropology and related disciplines, focused on describing the social life of communities from the inside. It relies on direct fieldwork to interpret everyday practices, rituals, and social organization. The term combines Greek ethnos (people) and graphein (to write). It seeks thick description of cultural meanings and social interactions.

Methods include participant observation, where the researcher lives in a community; interviews (unstructured and semi-structured); field notes; collection of documents, media, and material culture. Surveys may be used, but are less central. Fieldwork often lasts months or years, and reflexivity is emphasized to acknowledge the researcher’s influence on findings.

History and scope: Ethnografie developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with anthropologists who emphasized immersive fieldwork and cultural relativism. It has since expanded to urban, organizational, and transnational contexts, and more recently to digital and visual forms. In German-speaking contexts, Ethnografie overlaps with Ethnologie, though distinctions exist in focus and tradition.

Applications and critique: Ethnografie is used to describe and analyze cultural practices, kinship, religion, migration, identity, and everyday life, in fields such as education, public health, and market research. Critiques address representational biases, ethical concerns, and the reliability and generalizability of findings. Contemporary practice increasingly favors collaborative or participatory approaches and strict ethical standards to minimize harm and enhance validity.