The book serves as a comprehensive guide to various methodological concepts, blending philosophical and technical perspectives. It covers a diverse array of topics, including constructionism, critical realism, regression analysis, grounded theory, odds ratios, and triangulation, making it a valuable resource for understanding different research methodologies.
Key sociological terms like 'power', 'ideology', and 'culture' often suffer from ambiguous meanings, complicating the interpretation of sociological findings. This book delves into these central concepts, exploring their historical context and analytical implications. Rather than proposing a new framework, it aims to clarify and refine the meanings associated with these terms, enhancing their utility in sociological analysis. The discussions are relevant not only to sociologists but also to anyone interested in the complexities of social issues.
Now in its third edition, this leading introduction to ethnography has been thoroughly updated and substantially rewritten. It offers a systematic introduction to ethnographic principles and practice. New material covers the use of visual and virtual research methods, hypermedia software and the issue of ethical regulation. There is also a new prologue and epilogue. The authors argue that ethnography is best understood as a reflexive process. What this means is that we must recognize that social research is part of the world that it studies. From an outline of the principle of reflexivity the authors go on to discuss and exemplify main features of ethnographic work, including: the selection and sampling of cases the problems of access observation and interviewing recording and filing data the process of data analysis and writing research reports. Throughout, the discussion draws on a wide range of illustrative material from classic and more recent studies within a global context. The new edition of this popular textbook will be an indispensable resource for students and researchers utilizing social research methods in the social sciences and cultural studies.
Thoroughly updated, this accessible introduction to the methods of ethnographic fieldwork reconsiders the status of ethnography and places it quite explicitly in a general methodological context.
a very good book but it has been previously read. available from UK seller , same day/next day dispatch. The fella used it for his MA withthe OU, he says it was brill