Institutional Ethnography as Practice

In this edited collection, institutional ethnographers draw on their field research experiences to address different aspects of institutional ethnographic practice. As institutional ethnography embraces the actualities of people's experiences and lives, the contributors utilize their research to reveal how institutional relations and regimes are organized. As a whole, the book aims to provide readers with an accurate overview of what it is like to practice institutional ethnography, as well as the main varieties of approaches involved in the research.

“With its focus upon lived experiences within relations of ruling, Institutional Ethnography as Practice offers a distinctive and highly valuable perspective on the constitution of social life. This collection, which deserves to be read by social researchers in general, advances our understanding through accounts of the experiences and results of those who have been inspired by its practices.”

This is an extraordinary text that should be read by all scholars, students and activists who are interested in exploring how the social world is put together. Taken together, the chapters provide a comprehensive methodological road map for designing research that starts in people's actual experiences to reveal how ruling relations organize everyday life. Smith has gathered together the best practitioners of institutional ethnography to help bring her feminist methodology to life. This insightful and accessible collection offers inspiration and practical advice to all who yearn for a sociology that can make a difference in people's lives. -- Nancy Naples, professor of sociology and women's studies, University of Connecticut
This collection examines institutional ethnography as a theoretical perspective and methodological approach for developing and understanding of complex social structure as it is perceived by and impacts the individual, with a focus on organizations that address social problems. Recommended. Libraries serving sociology, social work, or women's studies departments that offer advanced degrees. CHOICE
This collection provides a valuable and readable introduction to the work of doing IE. British Journal of Sociology
-- Tim May, professor of sociology and Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures, University of Salford

Dorothy E. Smith is professor emerita in Sociology & Equity Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and adjunct professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria.

In this edited collection, institutional ethnographers draw on their field research experiences to address different aspects of institutional ethnographic practice. As institutional ethnography embraces the actualities of people's experiences and lives, the contributors utilize their research to reveal how institutional relations and regimes are organized. As a whole, the books aims to provide readers with an accurate overview of what it is like to practice institutional ethnography, as well as the main varieties of approaches involved in the research.

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