SOC221H5 Chapter 10: Ethnography and Participant Observation
Document Summary
The terms "participant observation" and "ethnography" are essentially synonymous, although here "ethnography" will be used in a broader sense, including participant observation. How to gain access depends on several things, one of which is whether the setting is relatively open (public) or closed (private or restricted) Closed settings generally include organizations of various kinds, such as firms, schools, cults, and social movements. Open settings are areas where anyone can gain access, such as libraries, parks, and sidewalks, but even there it can be quite difficult to make observations and talk to people. One way to ease the access problem is to assume a covert words, to not disclose that you are a researcher. These two distinctions - open versus closed setting, and overt versus covert role - suggest a fourfold distinction in forms of ethnography. The terms "participant observation" and "ethnography" are essentially synonymous, although here "ethnography" will be used in a broader sense,
