Ethnography by Martyn Hammersley, Paul Atkinson (1995, Paperback, Subsequent Edition)

Thoroughly updated and substantially rewritten, the second edition of this popular textbook is now even more relevant and useful for students and researchers. In this accessible introduction to the methods of ethnographic fieldwork, Hammersley and Atkinson reconsider the status of ethnography and seek to place it quite explicitly in a general methodological context. Ethnography provides a systematic and coherent account of ethnographic principles and practices.

From an outline of the principle of reflexivity the authors go on to discuss and exemplify the main features of ehtnographic work, such as the selection and sampling of cases, the problems of access, observation and interviewing, recording and filing data, and the process of data analysis. There is also consideration of the ethical issues surrounding ethnographic research. Throughout, the discussion draws on a wide range of illustrative material from classic and more recent studies in Britain and the US.