Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) 1st Edition

by Robert M. Emerson (Author), Rachel I. Fretz (Author), Linda L. Shaw (Author)

42 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0226206813

ISBN-10: 0226206815

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Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, Second Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
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In this companion volume John van Maanen's Tales of the Field, three scholars reveal how the ethnographer turns direct experience and observation into written fieldnotes upon which an ethnography is based.

Drawing on years of teaching and field research experience, the authors develop a series of guidelines, suggestions, and practical advice about how to write useful fieldnotes in a variety of settings, both cultural and institutional. Using actual unfinished, "working" notes as examples, they illustrate options for composing, reviewing, and working fieldnotes into finished texts. They discuss different organizational and descriptive strategies, including evocation of sensory detail, synthesis of complete scenes, the value of partial versus omniscient perspectives, and of first person versus third person accounts. Of particular interest is the author's discussion of notetaking as a mindset. They show how transforming direct observations into vivid descriptions results not simply from good memory but more crucially from learning to envision scenes as written. A good ethnographer, they demonstrate, must learn to remember dialogue and movement like an actor, to see colors and shapes like a painter, and to sense moods and rhythms like a poet.

The authors also emphasize the ethnographer's core interest in presenting the perceptions and meanings which the people studied attach to their own actions. They demonstrate the subtle ways that writers can make the voices of people heard in the texts they produce. Finally, they analyze the "processing" of fieldnotes--the practice of coding notes to identify themes and methods for selecting and weaving together fieldnote excerpts to write a polished ethnography.

This book, however, is more than a "how-to" manual. The authors examine writing fieldnotes as an interactive and interpretive process in which the researcher's own commitments and relationships with those in the field inevitably shape the character and content of those fieldnotes. They explore the conscious and unconscious writing choices that produce fieldnote accounts. And they show how the character and content of these fieldnotes inevitably influence the arguments and analyses the ethnographer can make in the final ethnographic tale.

This book shows that note-taking is a craft that can be taught. Along with Tales of the Field and George Marcus and Michael Fisher's Anthropology as Cultural Criticism, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes is an essential tool for students and social scientists alike.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert M. Emerson is professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Judging Delinquents: Context and Process in Juvenile Court, editor of Contemporary Field Research: Perspectives and Formulations, and coauthor of Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes.

Rachel I. Fretz is a lecturer in the Writing Programs unit at UCLA.

Linda L. Shaw is professor in and chair of the sociology department at California State University, San Marcos.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Of Chicago Press; 1st edition (August 15, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 254 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226206815
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226206813
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #398,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #252 in Anthropology (Books)
- #590 in Rhetoric (Books)
- #1,458 in Cultural Anthropology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
42 ratings

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5 star		75%
4 star		5%
3 star		14%
2 star		7%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Sam L

Good book

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this book for a college course. It was what I needed it to be- good info and in good condition.

Helpful

Janitor de cat box

I like writing ethnographic fieldnotes - and I did not know that is what I was doing!!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2010

Verified Purchase

This book is a clearly written guide to writing field notes. Even better, it has small samples of the variations of technique being described.

Advising without preaching that there is only one method and never indicates that the author's style is the be-all, end-all of ethnography.

I purchased this on a recommendation of my professor for this quarter's inquiry and observation project. It has helped me improve my note-taking and reflections on the observations as I was performing my research.

Helpful

sleepyscout

Classic on fieldnotes

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2011

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Undoubtedly the best source to developing your fieldnotes, coding them, and turning them into systematic research findings. I use it in my classes and despite reviewing literally hundreds of methods texts, can find no better, more accessible, thorough introduction. It has useful examples that are literally eye-opening for my students and has demonstrably improved their observation skills.

2 people found this helpful

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Kim Haining

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017

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Very dry read but it gets the point across.

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Angela M Anderson

Useful step-by-step guide

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2013

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Beautifully breaks down the theory and process of every step of creating written works from ethnographic field study. I will be revisiting this book again and again.

2 people found this helpful

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Basharat Masih

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2017

Received.

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2017

Great

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

Nothing special. Needed for class.

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Top reviews from other countries

Toni

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2013

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This book was a necessary evil, assisting me on the last part of my PhD journey. I have found it completely useful and it highlights that Fieldnotes are more than just words on paper.

4 people found this helpful

Sumana Aryal Thapa

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2015

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Great!

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