Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Er Du Megarig, Behøver Du Ikke At Følge Loven, John Hansen

Brooke Harrington

Finding A Place To Belong: The Role Of Social Inclusion In The Lives Of Homeless Men, Meaghan Bell, Christine A. Walsh

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the role of informal social support networks of male homeless shelter residents. Authors utilized ethnographic methods, relationality and reflexive research approaches and key informant interviews with 10 shelter residents to investigate perceptions of belonging in overcoming social exclusion and countering the stigmatization cast onto as a result of their condition of homelessness. Study findings challenge our normative conceptions of homelessness by discerning between “rooflessness” and “rootlessness” suggesting that homelessness is more than the absence of shelter, but rather denotes the absence of support and inclusion in one’s community. This research highlights a community within the shelter characterized …

A Humanistic Approach To Understanding Child Consumer Socialization In Us Homes, Lucy Atkinson, Michelle R. Nelson, Mark A. Rademacher

Mark A. Rademacher

We present findings from a qualitative, multisite, multi-method, longitudinal study of parents and their preschool-aged children that explores the intersections of marketing influences in the home and in the larger outside world of children. Findings indicate that preschoolers represent complicated and nuanced “consumers in training” beyond predictions based on their “perceptual stage of development.” Specifically, our data revealed interesting ways in which marketing and consumer culture can foster a number of pro-social consumer outcomes (e.g., charity, gift-giving, financial literacy). We also noted an emerging understanding by preschoolers of the social meanings of goods for identity construction and product evaluation. Finally, …

Ethnography In Action: Active Learning In Academic Library Outreach To Middle School Students, Samantha Godbey, Nancy Fawley, Xan Goodman, Susan Wainscott

Nancy Fawley

This article describes an outreach activity developed and coordinated by academic librarians as part of a state program for low-income middle school students. Rather than offering a traditional library tour, the library organizers wanted to provide the middle school students with a meaningful experience that would encourage active participation, critical thinking, and alleviate library anxiety. As a spin on the traditional tour, students applied an ethnographic approach to learning about the library. The authors describe the development and implementation of the activity and provide recommendations for other librarians involved in outreach to K-12 students.

Winter 2015

Insights

Notes from the interim dean; Ethnographer uncovers America's hidden history; Beck Research Initiative for Women, Gender and Community empowers through community-based research; Program spotlight: Master of Social Work; Professor offers a glimpse into the World of Wine; North-South Dialogue explores key figures across hemispheres; Political Science, WRD take the lead on reframing traditional liberal arts education; Community engagement is at the core of community service studies; In brief; Faculty publications

Sådan Slipper De Ultra-Rige For Skat, Kreditorer Og Dyre Skilsmisser, Tor Johannesson

Brooke Harrington

The Relationship Between Social Networks, Exchange And Kids’ Food In Children’S Peer Culture, Stephanie Tillman Melton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates children’s peer culture, social networks and the role that kids’ food plays in peer exchanges during middle childhood. During this stage children develop social competencies as they join peer groups with other children and become socialized into children’s peer culture. In order to immerse myself within children’s culture, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork at two afterschool programs providing care for elementary school children. I investigated friendships, social networks and exchanges among third through fifth grade children at the programs. The study included participant observation and participatory group interviews with a sample of the children at both sites. The …

Ethnographic Collector, Gideon Singer

Purdue GIS Day

Ethnography can be enhanced by utilizing both ArcGIS Online and Arc Collector. Throughout 2015, I have designed and utilized the Ethnographic Collector web map to record qualitative observations, spatial records, and multi-media attachments. Data was recorded while conducting pilot research on the e-waste landscape of Tippecanoe County, Indiana and a class ethnography project on the neighborhood of New Chauncey. The Ethnographic Collector has augmented qualitative data collection via participant observation and go-along interviews and can likely be utilized in tandem with participatory GIS.

In Search Of Safety, Negotiating Everyday Forms Of Risk: Sex Work, Criminalization, And Hiv/Aids In The Slums Of Kampala, Serena Cruz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers an in-depth descriptive account of how women manage daily risks associated with sex work, criminalization, and HIV/AIDS. Primary data collection took place within two slums in Kampala, Uganda over the course of fourteen months. The emphasis was on ethnographic methodologies involving participant observation and informal and unstructured interviewing. Insights then informed document analysis of international and national policies concerning HIV prevention and treatment strategies in the context of Uganda. The dissertation finds social networks and social capital provide the basis for community formation in the sex trade. It holds that these interpersonal processes are necessary components for …

Review Of Ethnography In Today's World. Color Full Before Color Blind (Sanjek, Roger), Brian A. Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Two Ethnographic Researchers Embark On A Narrative Journey, Randa Abbas, Deborah Court

The Qualitative Report

In this article two ethnographic researchers present a life story that emerged, almost against their will, as one of 120 in-depth interviews with Israeli Druze. The ethnographic study was designed to provide understanding of Israeli Druze society today through the discovery of thematic patterns. One interviewee, however, simply refused to follow the loosely structured interview format and told her story. Hana's story about the importance of her father in her professional success, and about her struggles to abide by the tenets of her religion, shed new light on the ethnographic data and taught these two researchers some new methodological sensibilities.

An Ethics For Working Up?: Japanese Corporate Scandals And Rethinking Lessons About Fieldwork, Elise Edwards

Elise M. Edwards

Almost forty years after Laura Nader's initial rallying call for anthropologists to “study up,” research on power holders and elite individuals and institutions still constitutes only a small fraction of ethnographic work. In addition, many of the methodological and ethical issues specific to studying up remain under-examined. Most discussions of methodological and ethical dilemmas in anthropology to date have assumed a power differential that favors the anthropologist. What happens when the power vector points in the other direction? Through the retelling of dilemmas faced when dealing with a very powerful and prominent field subject, I set the stage for a …

Graduate Conversations: Assessing The Space Needs Of Graduate Students, Melissa M. Burel, Abby Scheel, Rachel Besara, Jessica Evans Bradey, Kirsten Kinsley, Gloria Colvin

Library and Information Services Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

This article discusses the preferences, habits, and needs of graduate students as they relate to spaces for research and study. The findings are based on a large-scale ethnographic study of graduate students at Florida State University conducted between 2010 and 2013. Using a variety of ethnographic methods, researchers found that graduate students have diverse needs and unequal access to appropriate spaces and resources to meet those needs. Libraries can help fill the gaps left by home and academic departments by providing a range of spaces offering different noise levels, resources, and other amenities.

An Ethnography Of Taste: Craft Beer Culture In Hattiesburg, Yingkun Hou

Master's Theses

This thesis studies the craft beer culture in Hattiesburg in order to answer the research question: Is taste what draws people to this culture? Beyond conducting classic participant-observation, I deployed the method of sensory activated participant-observation in my fieldwork. In so doing, this research centers the perspective and the data collected on the senses, especially the taste of craft beer. The purpose of this research is to add to our knowledge of the anthropology of the senses and contribute to the literature on the anthropology of taste.

Urban Foraging Social Meetups In Philadelphia, Pa, Kristin G. Mcgillis

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

Urban foraging is the practice in which city residents gather plants and plant parts from green spaces—such as parks, sidewalks, or yards—to use for a variety of reasons. Research on the practice is in its early stages, with key questions in need of further research, including who participates, why they participate, and how they initially engage the practice. Existing research suggests most foragers consume what they gather for food, however, many also use materials for medicinal or craft-related purposes. Foraging meet-up tours appear to be a popular way for urban dwellers to learn about and engage in this practice. This …

Intersubjective Sensibilities: Memory, Experience, And Meaning In Natural History Interpretation, Joshua E. Hunter

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic account examines the perceptions of a group of outdoor educators or naturalists in a mid-western state park in regards to memory construction and how early memories impact their practice of interpretation. Findings show that early personal memories are not only fundamental to their eventual life as a naturalist but further; these memories motivate their work within the park. Of primary focus is highlighting the intersubjective continuity between the memories of naturalists and what they hope for others and the eventual goal of meaning making by way of affective memories. By describing and interpreting their perceptions of experience and …

Ethnographic Refusal As Research Method: Example From A Study Of A Family Court Child Custody Mediation Program, Alexandra Crampton

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Mediation is a dispute resolution process in which a third party neutral facilitates discussion towards amicable agreement. Parents in Wisconsin filing disputed claims in family court over child custody or physical residence must attend mediation before going back to court. I began research on the Milwaukee Family Court Child Custody Mediation program three years ago with anticipation of data collection challenges due to sensitivity of the topic and need for multiple research permissions. Multiple and ongoing permission is necessary given an ethnographic extended case study research design. This approach was chosen to analyze the meanings of mediation within larger social …

From Co-Location To Collaboration: Working Together To Improve Student Learning, Susan Montgomery, Suzanne D. Robertshaw

Faculty Publications

An academic librarian and the coordinator of a campus tutoring and writing center recently relocated to the library researched their value to second-year students. Differences in the amount and type of available data called for conducting in-depth interviews with students about their research and writing processes. The researchers also reviewed relevant material regarding similar collaborative efforts at other college and universities. The gaps revealed in the environmental scan along with the best practices of librarian/writing center collaboration helped determine future steps needed for both units to move from mere co-location to working in true collaboration.

Comprehensive Field Work Instructions: A Review Of Applied Ethnography. Guidelines For Field Research, Elizaveta Polukhina

The Qualitative Report

This book provides extended information and concrete guidelines for applied ethnographic research. It is rich in methodological advice, applicable empirical instruments and tools. The work will be helpful for advanced researchers, academic and non- academic people involved in complex international programs, lectures and graduate students planning to conduct ethnographic research for their dissertation. It includes research examples in education, marketing, community health, nursing, geography and more. The empirical fields of Pelto are slightly removed from the focus on Euro-American academic research and include reflections of working in the developing countries such as South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and more.

The Power And Importance Of Emotional Investment In Scholarly Research: An Ethnographic Account Of San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Hall, Claire E. Shannon

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Paradoxes, Dyads, And Tensions In Business: A Book Review Of Advancing Ethnography In Corporate Environments: Challenges And Emerging Opportunities, Bruce Lilyea

The Qualitative Report

By using a dyad approach of having two authors write about a topic from differing perspectives, the book presents a real world perspective of the innate challenges of corporate ethnography and is authentic as a result. These dyads address the issues of the balance of technology and traditional ethnographic tools; past and future; speed and depth; theory and practicality; insider and outsider; and, big data and human evolution. I intentionally use the word “with” to separate the dyad topics instead of “versus” because the book presents a “with not versus” approach to the dyads in the writing.

Making Sense Of Mediation: The Intersection Of Critical Event Narratives At A Community Conflict Resolution Center, Eric Dirth

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research investigated the unique narratives of one community mediation center’s stakeholders to illuminate the interconnectedness of the center’s stakeholders and the role critical events play in their retrospective sensemaking. A qualitative study, employing an autoethnographic and narrative analysis, was conducted at a local mediation center over a period of six months to explore the communicative interactions involved in the stakeholders’ tellings and retellings of stories of significant change. Results offered a rich understanding of the significant moments taking place at the community mediation center and the communicative triggers of these critical event experiences. Critical event triggers included: accelerated learning, …

Blood From Blood And Earth From Earth: Examining Cultural Identity In Second And Third Generation Hispanic Americans, Caroline E. Culbreth

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

To what extent does a Mexican American identify with Mexico? With the U.S.? How are these identities formed? Through a series of semi-structured interviews with second- and third-generation descendants of migrants emigrating from seven Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, I explore what it means to be Hispanic American. I begin by examining the informants’ perceptions of boundaries between the broad Hispanic and American ethnic groups and their self-defined positions relative to those boundaries. Having established this position, I then analyze the impact of external conceptions of authenticity and access to “ethnic raw materials” in their construction of this ethnic identity. Findings …

The Fifty-Year Ethnographer: A Review Of Harry Wolcott's Ethnography Lessons: A Primer, Denise Mifsud

The Qualitative Report

“Harry Wolcott uses fifty years of experience to take the reader inside the process of constructing an ethnographic study, offering a wealth of lessons from one of the masters of the genre”. This is indeed a concise description by the publisher. The text is constructed around the author’s five major studies. Wolcott thus gives a unique contribution to the field of ethnography as he presents some critical components of ethnography in his desire to share with us readers the results of his career-long search for the essence of ethnography. The book is divided into eight chapters. I give a critical …

Survival Of The Toughest: An Ethnographic Study Of A Collegiate Wrestling Team, Sydney A. Dodson-Nease

Media and Communication Studies Honors Papers

The purpose of this ethnographic study of the Vespey College Wrestling is to obtain a better understanding of the wrestlers’ perspectives on cultural behaviors and norms that appear to oppose masculinity. This ethnographic study is based on observational fieldnotes I have collected and interviews I have conducted over a five month period as a participant observer of the wrestling team. This report includes an introduction to the study, a review of literature pertaining to masculinity and wrestling, a methods section, an ethnographic description, and a conclusion that discusses the implications of the results and suggestions for further research. Future research …

Liberation Through Domination: Bdsm Culture And Submissive-Role Women, Lisa R. Rivoli

Student Publications

The alternative sexual practices of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism (BDSM) are practiced by people all over the world. In this paper, I will examine the experiences of five submissive-role women in the Netherlands and five in south-central Pennsylvania, focusing specifically on how their involvement with the BDSM community and BDSM culture influences their self-perspective.I will begin my analysis by exploring anthropological perspectives of BDSM and their usefulness in studying sexual counterculture, followed by a consideration of feminist critiques of BDSM and societal barriers faced by women in the community. I will then address the …

Leaning Into Autoethnography: A Review Of Heewon Chang’S Autoethnography As Method, Martha M. Snyder

The Qualitative Report

To lean in means to press forward or to move toward something. Leaning in is a deliberate way to approach something whether it is a strong wind or a new skill. Leaning in describes my stance toward autoethnography. I am making a step forward to understand what autoethnography is and how I might be able to use it in my personal research agenda. In reviewing the various approaches to autoethnography, I have found that Autoethnography as Method by Heewon Chang offers a comfortable entry point. Her methodical approach and practical guidelines for doing autoethnography are appealing and useful in creating …

The Myth Of The Unteachable: Youth, Race And The Capacity Of Alternative Pedagogy, Cathy R. Borck

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My research consisted of three years of qualitative inquiry, including 62 interviews with members of the Department of Education, school administrators, teachers and students, as well as a yearlong ethnography at a transfer school that I chose because of its history of success with the city's hardest- to-reach youth. To my knowledge, mine is the first formal study of New York City transfer schools. "Transfer schools" are New York City's public alternative schools, which serve "over-age, under- credited" high school students (i.e. students who are "behind" in school). These students experience many challenges and interruptions to their education, including homelessness, …

Volunteering For Development: Tensions Around Conducting Multi-Sited Ethnography With Volunteers, Nichole Georgeou

Nichole Georgeou

A scholarly and personal account of the ethical, and human issues and values involved in a specific example of ethnographic research and field-work, with wider research implications and relevance.

An Ethnographic Study Of Ebook Use: A Library-Anthropology Collaboration, Lisa Rose-Wiles, Sulekha Kalyan

Library Publications

No abstract provided.