Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.1
Classroom in which the accurate description is sharing and cooperating,
rather than cheating (far left two students)
A cultural interpretation rests on a foundation of carefully collected ethno-
graphic data. Together with ethnographic methods and techniques, cultural
interpretation and a variety of other fundamental concepts shape what ethnog-
raphy is—notably, a holistic perspective; contextualization; and emic, etic, and
nonjudgmental views of reality.
HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Ethnographers assume a holistic outlook in research to gain a comprehensive
and complete picture of a social group. Ethnographers attempt to describe as
much as possible about a culture or a social group. This description might
include the group's history, religion, politics, economy, and environment. No
study can capture an entire culture or group. The holistic orientation forces the
fieldworker to see beyond an immediate cultural scene or event in a classroom,
hospital room, city street, or plush offices in Washington, D.C., New York, or
Chicago. Each scene exists within a multilayered and interrelated context.
