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Observation: on the importance of being there

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  • Monika Kostera

    (UW - University of Warsaw, Södertörn University College - Södertörn University College)

Abstract

Observation is perhaps the most ethnographic method, quite the recognizable flagship for ethnographic studies. For some researchers it provides an orientation in the field. For others observation is a reliable method of exploring the social. It enables researchers to collect first-hand experiential material in the field and it can be applied in different ways and for different purposes. This chapter presents the most popular kinds of observation: non-participant, participant and direct. It shares a few ideas and techniques of how to use the method to acquire good ethnographic material. Finally, it introduces ethnography as research of and by human presence, beyond structures and facts, into the realm of experiences, meanings, communications and ways of understanding human communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Monika Kostera, 2021. "Observation: on the importance of being there," Post-Print hal-03537179, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03537179
    DOI: 10.4337/9781786438102.00007
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