What's Wrong With Ethnography?

Hammersley, Martyn

doi:10.4324/9781315002675

Cited by 322 publications

(216 citation statements)

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“…Even so, critical theory maintains the aspiration to be objective, in the sense of being aware of our subjective position at all times whilst attempting to see beyond it. For me, this fits with my commitment to an underlying ontological position known as 'subtle realism' (Hammersley, 1992), a stance which accepts that there is an independent social world but that this is only accessible via subjective interpretation. In line with this understanding, epistemologically, the study drew on scientific method, attempting to be as objective as possible, whilst acknowledging that it is not possible to be neutral and reflecting on how this might affect the research.…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 80%

“…The term 'reliability' will be used in the sense of what Lincoln and Guba (1985) call 'dependability' and 'confirmability'. With respect to 'generalisability', Hammersley (1992) proposes that there are two aspects to the concept -'empirical' generalisability (whether you can generalise beyond the sample) and 'theoretical' generalisability (whether you are contributing to theoretical understanding). The study aimed for 'theoretical generalisability' since it aspired to contribute to constructing theory.…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study aimed for 'theoretical generalisability' since it aspired to contribute to constructing theory. Therefore, although I focussed only on one country, that can easily be dismissed as 'unique' and, therefore, offering a very limited empirical basis for making any general statements about environmental policy, the case still has 'theoretical generalisability' (Hammersley, 1992).…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Doing qualitative fieldwork in Cuba: social research in politically sensitive locations

Bell

2013

International Journal of Social Research Methodology

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Cuba, a country that is often portrayed as an isolated, secretive and bureaucratic dictatorship, would appear to present many challenges for a social researcher intent on eliciting the genuine opinions of the native population. However, in December 2008, I began just such an investigation, researching 'environmental justice' (i.e. the social and distributive impacts of environmental policy and practice) in the country, using a mixture of interview and participant observation techniques. As might be expected, much of the fieldwork was dominated by the sensitive political context, creating numerous methodological issues and dilemmas, as well as personal challenges. This paper looks at the difficulties faced, in particular with regard to the problem of attaining reliability and validity, and the strategies that were used to overcome them. It will be of relevance to anyone considering carrying out fieldwork investigations in socialist, and other politically sensitive, locations.

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Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Doing qualitative fieldwork in Cuba: social research in politically sensitive locations

Bell

2013

International Journal of Social Research Methodology

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“…Qualitative validity is achieved through trustworthiness based on credibility, dependability, plausibility, transferability and conformability (Guba and Lincoln, 1994, pp. 105-17;Hammersley, 1992). A process of 'triangulation' was used to verify, contextualise and clarify the data, which involved returning to the literature and data on Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa and HIV to provide greater analytical rigour (Mason, 2002, p. 108).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, HIV and Risk

Anderson

2015

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This timely new series publishes leading monographs and edited collections from scholars working in the disciplinary areas of politics, international relations and public policy with specific reference to questions of gender. The series showcases cutting-edge research in Gender and Politics, publishing topical and innovative approaches to gender and politics. It will include exciting work from new authors and well-known academics and will also publish high-impact writings by practitioners working in issues relating to gender and politics.The series covers politics, international relations and public policy, including gendered engagement with mainstream political science issues, such as political systems and policymaking, representation and participation, citizenship and identity, equality, and women's movements; gender and international relations, including feminist approaches to international institutions, political economy and global politics; and interdisciplinary and emergent areas of study, such as masculinities studies, gender and multiculturalism, and intersectionality.

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“…In seeking to establish those factors likely to generate high levels of individual and collective risk and vulnerability amongst young people, our methodology was underpinned by an ethnographically-based approach (Hammersley, 1992). At the same time, we wanted to understand the roles that schools and other social agencies can play in proactively supporting young people.…”

Section: Methodsological Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%