Ethnography And What Does It Means To Study Other Cultures

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Anthropologists tend to study different cultures, and analyze them accordingly. In the recent past, anthropologists have gained interest in studying their own cultures. They apply several ethnographic techniques, in order to come up with factual details regarding the concrete analysis. Ethnography is the study of a certain culture based on fieldwork. Broadly, there are two types of societies that anthropologists should take note of when studying their cultures. There is a small-scale society and a complex post-industrial society (Pink, S. 2013). Both societies have distinct ways of studying their cultures, and adopt different ethnographic techniques. Previously, anthropological work would only take place in small-scale communities …show more content…

The common factor about ethnography, regardless of the society being studied is that the thoughts and actions of the people in these societies depend on a wide range of factors (Pink, S. 2013). Their actions, thoughts, and speech in one society would not be the same, if they were subjected to a different environment. Therefore, for a researcher to fully understand each of the environments, he or she should spend quality time with the people in various social and physical environments. The ease of interaction with people in different societies becomes complicated with the increase in the population and complexity of a society (Mueller, G. 2012, September 10). For instance, in a small-scale society, the most common ethnographic method used is participant observation. This engages the researcher to study the lives of the people, inquire directly about their situations, and participate most of their activities with them. However, this is different for the people in a complex post-industrial society. Use of sophisticated tools and techniques like filming documentaries helps in a better analysis of the lives that these people lead (Social and Cultural Anthropology.

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