TRADUES E EXERCCIOS INGLS (aula 1 04/01/2016)

What is ethnography?
"Ethnography is the recording and analysis of a culture or society, usually based on participantobservation and resulting in a written account of a people, place or institution".(Definition taken
from the Glossary of Terms written by Simon Coleman and Bob Simpson)
Traditionally, ethnographies have focused in depth on a bounded and definable group of people;
such as the Nuer, or a particular North Indian village. Today, they are just as likely to focus on a
particular aspect of contemporary social life; such as new reproductive technologies, the
meanings of the veil, virtual communication, or being a Milwall football club fan. The concept of
ethnography has been developed within social anthropology; but the term is now sometimes
used in a looser way in for example opinion and market research.
Why are ethnographies important?
Ethnographies as texts offer excellent insight into how social anthropologists undertake their
fieldwork, what it is like to experience daily life in an environment that may be initially unfamiliar,
and the political, economic and social dynamics involved in collecting data. By providing
specific, in-depth case studies, they can serve as excellent means for teaching about global
issues such as climate change, migration and globalisation. Even where ethnographies focus on
a particular practice - such as a religious ceremony, or a culinary ritual the anthropologist will
typically place the practice in its full context to give a holistic, rich and multi-faceted account.
Reading good ethnographies is an excellent way to learn how social anthropologists go about
their research; and how they reflect on their own and one others experiences in the field, and
construct their broader theories.