How can I find an ethnography?
Answer
Finding ethnographies is tricky for a couple of reasons. First of all, there isn't one subject tag just for ethnographies. The most common subject subheading assigned to ethnographies is "social life and customs" but "case studies" and "ethnology" are some of the other subheadings that may be applied. It is also rare that the phrase "ethnography" be used in the title of the book itself. Since ethnographic books about a particular cultural group they will be shelved next to other books about that group or region and not shelved with other ethnographies.
Here are some tips for finding an ethnography:
- Search by the specific cultural group or region and add in keywords like "customs" or "case studies". Example: Mayas -- Social Life and Customs
- Use "ethnology" or "ethnography" in your search
- Try looking in a book series devoted to ethnographies
- Search by the name of an anthropologist to see if they have published a book based on their fieldwork
- Ask a librarian for research assistance
Find more suggestions on our Anthropology Research Guide.