ethnography, Descriptive study of a particular human society or the process of making such a study. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork and requires the immersion of the ethnographer in the culture and everyday life of the people who are the subject of study. In addition to the technique of participant observation, the ethnographer usually cultivates close relationships with “informants” who can provide specific information on aspects of cultural life. In each of these research processes, ethnographers risk the influence of their own inherent cultural biases or the biases of willing informants. While detailed written notes are the mainstay of fieldwork, ethnographers also use recording devices. See also cultural anthropology.
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