Ethnography

“Once you are convinced that the only way we are ever going to be able to study and understand life as it is actually lived is through ethnography, then you know why it is so important for other people to appreciate this and ideally learn to be ethnographers. Reading this book you can feel the passionate commitment to this goal of persuasion. Thanks to its abundant `story box’ illustrations, its discussion of foundational principles and practices and above all the sense of a holistic imagination of what this holistic method entails, the book effectively delivers. Ethnography will grant you empathy and expand your life, but first, you need to learn what it is.”

Professor Daniel Miller, Professor of Anthropology, University College London

“Spot on! Wardell’s skilfully crafted book offers an engaging introduction to the world of ethnographic research. The chapters present a refreshing variety of detailed examples that shed light on the strengths and challenges of both standard methods and innovative creative approaches.”

Maruška Svašek, Professor of Anthropology, Centre for Creative Ethnography, Queen’s University Belfast

Susan Wardell is an academic and writer from Aotearoa New Zealand. She is Senior Lecturer in the Social Anthropology programme at the University of Otago, with a shared background in communication studies. Her own research focuses on emotion and affect, digital sociality, health, and mental health, with recent work covering topics such as online medical crowdfunding and ecological distress. She is interested in public communication and in creative ethnography, writing and publishing in several literary genres, while also dabbling in visual and performance arts. Susan is Pākehā (New Zealand European) and lives in Ōtepoti Dunedin.