Exercise 2-2B: Ethnographic Writing

A common method used in the field of anthropology is called an ethnography. An ethnography aims to study culture by examining “the relationships, rituals, values, and habits that make people understand themselves as members of a group” (Kahn 176). The way in which anthropologists study these rituals and habits is by living with a culture for an extended period of time. While living in this new culture, they take extensive notes of all the interesting things they observe. These notes are called observational field notes.

When taking field notes, ethnographers are careful to write down everything that could inform how people create meaning. Therefore, they might begin by noting what at first seems like mundane facts: the physical surroundings (color schemes, sounds, layout, objects) and then move to describing the characteristics of people and their activities. For ethnographers, all of these detailed notes are their primary data. In order to analyze this data, they then reflect and write about how these behaviors and actions create meaning for the culture. Therefore, the way they examine their data is by critically writing about notes.

1. Now it is your turn to try out this ethnographic approach by taking observational field notes. However, instead of going out and living with a new culture for a long period of time, you will watch these two short commercials for children’s toys from American culture. Even though you are likely quite familiar with this culture, you need to work to take on an objective viewpoint.
   1. Search: LEGO build together commercial
   2. Search: LEGO Friends Heartlake city commercial
2. As you watch these clips, take extensive notes of everything you see (you can use the first column this chart to take notes). However, be careful not ascribe meaning to these observations yet – just describe. For example, if you hear background music, write about what that music sounds like.
3. After you have taken extensive field notes, work with your groupmates to discuss what these observations mean for the culture in which they were created (you can record your main points in the “Reflections” and “Emerging Questions” columns of the field notes chart). 
4. Once your group has attributed cultural meaning to your observational notes, your instructor will discuss the central role that writing plays in the way that ethnographers both collect data and analyze their findings.

For a downloadable Google doc version of this exercise adapted for a remote class, click here.

The field notes chart template can be found here.