The Role of Ethnography as Ethical and Policy-Relevant Public Scholarship

In: Cultural studies - critical methodologies, Volume 20, Issue 5, p. 389-401

Abstract

Amid calls for increased public scholarship, ethnographers occupy precarious positions. They focus on studying underrepresented cultural groups within local contexts and connecting micro and macro levels to understand the impact of social, economic, and political forces. The methodology is particularly well-suited to engage multiple audiences, influence public dialogue, and inform policy issues. And yet, given the current emphasis on experimental and quasi-experimental methods, and the inability of ethnographic findings to generalize, policy makers question the utility of qualitative research. When scholars do translate research for broader audiences, recent examples of best-selling ethnographies demonstrate the increased scrutiny they encounter. The article, as a result, explores the basic characteristics of ethnography and public scholarship. The authors examine issues related to ethnography as ethical and policy-relevant public scholarship. They argue that ethnography serves a valuable role to promote deliberative democracy and social justice; however, to maximize potential and limit unintended consequences, researchers must establish standards and techniques to conduct rigorous and ethical research and identify methods to communicate the merit of such scholarship.