Ethnography and ethnology are related approaches that help anthropologists describe and compare human societies. This lesson traces the shift from early research based mainly on secondhand accounts toward fieldwork and direct information gathering, then explains how cross-cultural comparison can illuminate cultural relationships and the past.
Ethnography is a method used by cultural anthropologists to create a description of a culture or society. Ethnographers can draw on information from fieldwork, museum collections, government records, and archaeological data. Direct research with people is important because it allows researchers to gather information from those whose lives and practices they are describing.
All flashcards
Ethnography
A method for describing a culture or society using evidence such as fieldwork, records, or archaeological data.
Armchair anthropology
An approach that develops theories mainly from secondhand information rather than direct ethnographic research among the people discussed.
Feminist anthropology
An approach that addresses male bias, recognizes women’s contributions, and broadens the questions anthropologists ask.
Indigenous anthropology
A subfield associated with practitioners who have Indigenous ancestors.
Ethnoarchaeology
The use of information about recent or existing cultures to help interpret archaeological evidence.
Quiz questions
What research standard did Franz Boas promote?Answer: Gather ethnographic information directly from the peoples scholars intended to write about.
What is ethnology?Answer: The cross-cultural comparison of different groups to examine similarities, differences, and possible relationships.
What distinguishes an emic perspective from an etic perspective?Answer: Emic seeks people’s own perspectives; etic uses an outside analytical framework.
An archaeologist uses observations of a living community to help interpret material remains from the past. What approach is this?Answer: Ethnoarchaeology, which connects ethnographic information with archaeological evidence.
When does an etic perspective become ethnocentric?Answer: When a researcher judges another culture by the standards of the researcher’s own culture.
Based on Introduction to Anthropology by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, Marjorie M. Snipes (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.