The Ethnographic Method: The Origin and Basis of a Multitechnical Approach

Abstract

In this article, I present a reflection on ethnography as a method composed of a variety of techniques for conducting social research. General information is given on its origin and links with anthropological research. By questioning the classical-normative notion of the ethnographic method and using the distinction between method, methodology and technique, I offer a concept which links ethnographic research to a strategic process in which the researcher acts to connect his or her experience and knowledge on methods with creativity and personal commitment. In the course of this process, ethnography achieves scientific rigor in that it permits the emergence of the principles of creativity, system, transparency, and empirical reference, which in my opinion are the key principles in the general definition of the method. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1002100