Ethnography and the interpretation of cultures Essay

Ethnography and the interpretation of endings - canvass Examplebeing studied However, for a social scientist the laboratory is the culture being studied and it is unattainable to manipulate parts of it without destroying the culture itself. Further much to gain insight into the whys of cultural practices police detectives must often ingratiate themselves with the people studied. However the argument is that too much emotional attachment can affect the tecs objectivity and thereby call into question his research conclusions.This article traces the history of changes in anthropological approaches to ethnographic studies over the years. At first blush this is a confusing phraseology, but as I understand it from the authors explanation, the difference is that in participant observation the researcher participates in the cultures practices but observes for study only the cultures symbols, status relationships, norms, values, etc. to determine their substance in relation to how the cu lture functions (Tedlock, B. 1991) On the other hand under observation of participation the researcher is also more aware of the effect his participation may have on the culture and consequently tries to broaden his observations to himself as well as the culture being studied. In other words in an effort to achieve a greater degree of scientific validity he attempts to be more aware of for example any notions of cultural superiority which might color his perceptions and make him appreciate little how the practices he observes play roles in enabling the culture studied to function effectively in the context in which it operates. The author makes the point that that the recent broadening of the pool of recruits doing ethnographies to include both genders, different races and socioeconomic levels, etc. are more likely to study cultures objectively in context in th observation of participation methodology than their largely male, white, upper class forerunners many of whom had the ba ggage of considering themselves as members of