Ethnography - 2nd Edition by Harry F Wolcott (Paperback)

About the Book

Harry Wolcott discusses the fundamental nature of ethnographic studies, offering important suggestions on improving and deepening research practices for both novice and expert researchers.

Book Synopsis

Harry Wolcott discusses the fundamental nature of ethnographic studies, offering important suggestions on improving and deepening research practices for both novice and expert researchers.

Review Quotes

My students are always impressed with Wolcott's engaging writing style, wit, and no nonsense approach to fieldwork. Ethnography: A Way of Seeing highlights the importance of creativity and common sense in doing fieldwork.

This casual yet informed synthesis, written in an egaging style, is what sets Wolcott's book apart from the humdrum of texts that discuss methods formally, often in a staccato, bland, and abstracted tone, usually detatched from application....Wolcott's excursion is a wonderful raft ride through the flows, eddies, and rapids of anthropological experience that is always theoretically informed.

This second edition draws readers closer to Wolcott's vision of the interpretive stance that underlies ethnography. In an era when ethnographers may be challenged to articulate how their work contributes to different kinds of knowledge, this book shows the way.

About the Author

Harry F. Wolcott (1929-2012) was professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon and a leading author in anthropology and research methods. Wolcott's major works include anthropological studies of American education: Teachers Versus Technocrats and The Man in the Principal's Office: An Ethnography. He also wrote extensively on fieldwork and writing: Transforming Qualitative Data; The Art of Fieldwork; Ethnography: A Way of Seeing; and Writing Up Qualitative Data and is the author of the more recent Sneaky Kid and Its Aftermath: Ethics and Intimacy in Fieldwork (all published by AltaMira Press).