Ethnography Clause Samples
Ethnography. Ethnography ―constitutes the exploration of culture and subculture through application of qualitative research methods designed to produce thick descriptions‖ (▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, 2009, p. 164). Ethnography is, in fact, an experiential and experimental system‖. According to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ (1998, p.291) ―an experimental system can be compared to a labyrinth whose walls, in the course of being erected, simultaneously blind and guide the experimenter. The construction principle of a labyrinth consists in that the existing walls limit the space and the direction of the walls to be added. It cannot be planned. It forces one to move by means of checking out, of groping‖. The utility of ethnography as research method is well elaborated by ▇▇▇▇▇▇ (2003, p.187) who states that ―conceptualizing ethnography as devices that shape questions to be asked allows us to think of them as scientific research tools. Their significance lies less in that they conclude them in discursive resources they provide and the pathways they open up. Their aim, in sort, is to improve literacy, to enable people to read the world better. Some would consider this value neutral. I think it is what gives ethnography ethical charge‖. This very accurately summarizes the rationale behind the selection of the specific research method. The overall goal is to facilitate in making sense of what is out there by an open communication flow between the researcher and the researched, recognizing its limitations and contextual boundaries. Probably one of the most interesting notions connected to ethnography is that it can be both a process and an outcome, it can apply to both the methodology and to the written account of an ethnographic project. Ethnography has its roots in social anthropology, which traditionally focused on small-scale communities that were thought to share culturally specific beliefs and practices. ▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇ (1985), ▇▇▇▇▇ (2001), ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ (1994) all describe ethnography as a generalised approach to developing concepts to understand human behaviours from insider's or native's perspective and point of view. This is particularly interesting in this research study, due to the researcher‘s close connection and relationship with the two organisations under study. Especially when it comes to qualitative research, it has been increasingly observed that that there is in fact no way of removing the observer from research in naturalistic settings (▇▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ 1991). Ethnographers recognise that they...
Ethnography. Ethnography as a pastoral practice is the application of immersive study of a ministry context for the purpose of better understanding the histories and stories that shape the community of faith. Interpretation of these formative narratives enhances the pastor’s ability to build 3 In 2018 and 2019 I led discussions in both congregations regarding Human Sexuality and The United Methodist Church’s denomination wide attempts to address the divisions within the church over the standards in the Book of Discipline. These discussions were in preparation for the Special Called Session of the General Conference in 2019. During these discussions I perceived an almost unified mindset embracing the Traditional view upholding the current language in the Book of Discipline stating, “the practice of homosexuality is inconsistent with Christian teaching.” There was not an openness to hear another view and little or no opportunity for dialog. In February both congregations voted by margins of 98 percent and 95 percent to disaffiliate from the UMC. relationships and provide leadership guided by the underlying currents of meaning imbedded in the social and theological praxis of the church. Stories are central to ethnographic research, as is demographic data. Stories give meaning to people’s experience of the world. Everybody has a story. The couple in my office have a story. I have a story. You have a story. Story is as old as time, a basic form of communication that enables us to share, learn, and grow. Our lives are intertwined with an ongoing narrative from the moment we are born. Often unaware that we are doing so, we adopt these narrations as reality, and they are reinforced by one generation after another. Narrative traditions handed down over generations become woven into the fabric of the social and religious culture. Human beings are “embedded in stories that influence us and describe the range of possibilities that we can imagine for our lives.”4 Using ethnographic research, I will examine the past and present histories, narratives, and demographics of my ministry context. I will explore the historical narratives that have shaped and influenced my ministry context from the late 1700s to 2021. Demographic data provides the pastor a view of the community that may or may not be readily seen or understood. The ministry context is shaped and influenced by these community demographics beyond the immediate walls of the church. Understanding of the broader community helps ...