Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ethnographicconceptsandtechniquestoresearch.Ineithercase,thereporthas
the flavor of an ethnography, but its structure and format resemble those of
publications funded by a public- or private-sector sponsor. An ethnographi-
callyinformedreportisasusefulasafull-blownethnographytotherightaudi-
ence. Ethnographically informed reports that only approximate the effort a
traditional ethnography requires, however, will not be as credible because the
writer loses many built-in quality controls when ethnographic concepts and
methods are not integrated.
LITERATURE
Literary artists are keen observers of the human drama. They have created
classic stories and characters representing fundamental values and social rela-
tionships.Literaryworkscanbeusefultotheethnographeratvariousstagesin
the work. During fieldwork, the events of everyday life often parallel the plots
of masterpieces. These parallels can help unravel the complex performances
that the ethnographer attends.
Literature is probably most useful, however, as a tool to help ethnographers
communicate their insights. A number of literary conventions and writing
techniques are available for the ethnographer to use. The author may assume
the voice of different speakers or may appear omniscient or transparent. The
author can expand or contract through narrative pace. Use of concrete
metaphors, rich similes, parallelism, irony, and many other devices on a larger
plane convey the true feel, taste, and smell of a moment.
Ethnographers use this wordcraft to make their science meaningful and
effective. I used Shakespeare's resonant phrase “a comedy of errors” in my
“Blaming the Victim” article about the dropout program (Fetterman, 1981b).
Thephraseaptlycharacterizedinaconciseandinstantlycomprehensiblefash-
ion the misuse of the treatment-control design and the federal bureaucratic
intervention in the study.The phrase—as a description of the behavior of edu-
cational agencies and researchers in a national research effort—conveys the
absurdity of the experience and its tragedy (misevaluation).
HenrikIbsen'splay An Enemy of the People providedapowerfulimagethat
accurately reflected my experience in attempting to publish my research find-
ings about the misapplication of the treatment-control design in the dropout
study. In this story, Dr. Stockmann, the play's protagonist and a medical offi-
cial, attempts to publish his discovery of contaminants in the town's famous
baths. He encounters significant resistance from the townspeople, who derive
their income from tourists frequenting the baths. I used this poignant story to
convey my own frustration; it captured the emotional tension and outrage
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