ETHNOGRAPHY

Ethnography

Ethnography

Introduction

Ethnography refers to the study of cultures of people. This paper discusses the various perspectives of researches which are conducted by ethnographers in determining the cultures in various environments such as prison and young people's involvement in gangs. Various aspects are elaborated in this paper based on ethnographic researchers and circumstances faced by them.

Discussion

Part 1 - Understanding ethnography

Ethical Considerations in Study of Young People's Involvement in Gangs

There are various aspects which an ethnographer should consider while studying the young people's involvement in gangs. The data is kept confidential under all circumstances in order to maintain privacy. The ethical considerations involve the consent of subjects and participants. The consent should be informed and obvious. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ask for permission and consent of individuals related to the research. The issues and challenges faced by the researcher should be made clear to the participant to avoid any ambiguity and doubt. Researcher also has the moral obligation to provide adequate and sufficient information to the participants (Cooper, 2010).

The issue that the ethnographer faces in conducting the research on the different cultures is that the ethnographer first has to understand the culture and norms and values of that culture which he or she is going to research. Moreover the ethnographer also has to discuss the cultures with the people. Mostly people does not openly accept other people and does not talk to them openly, this thing usually happens when an ethnographer has to deal with tribal people. Ethnographers face the major issue of consent from the participants. The participants and subjects have the right to know the usage of details present in research (Crabtree, 1998).

Young people usually become the victim of violence which influences them in adopting the wrong path of crime. They join gangs to accomplish their tasks in groups. Ethnographers strive towards studying these viewpoints which pushes them towards this menace. The culture adopted by young people becomes an integral part of their life which becomes difficult to escape. The difference in culture is difficult to adopt in the beginning but it incorporates in their daily routine. The ethical consideration in such circumstances to be pursued by ethnographic researchers is the acceptance of gangs in culture (Keith, 1992). There are many countries where such gangs are common and attract youngsters due to its vast exposure. People join gangs to gain respect, wealth, and power. However, this is not true in every case. The culture differs in different countries.

Problems in Access to Prison for Studying Culture of Prison

The ethnographer has a number of issues faces and experience while gaining access to prison for studying the culture of prison. The culture in any prison is determined by various factors such as the number of prisoners and disciplines prevailing in the system. Researchers usually identify these factors impacting the overall study. Therefore, the access to prison is the basic and primary concern of ethnographer. Any issues related to access needs to be resolved in case of successful ...