Ethnography is a descriptive account of social life and culture in a particular social system based on detailed observations of what people actually do. It is a research method that is used by sociologists often when studying groups, organizations, and communities that are a part of a larger complex society, such as religious cults, ethnic neighborhoods, or urban gangs.Traditionally, ethnographies have focused in depth on a bounded and definable group of people; such as the Nuer, or a particular North Indian village.
Today, they are just as likely to focus on a particular aspect of contemporary social life; such as new reproductive technologies, the meanings of the veil, virtual communication, or being a Milwall football club fan. The concept of ethnography has been developed within social anthropology; but the term is now sometimes used in a looser way in for example opinion and market research.
Related Journals of Ethnography
Arts and Social Sciences, Anthropology, Journal Ethnography & Education, Ethnography, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Studies in Educational Ethnography.