Towards a Peopled Ethnography

Abstract

This article argues for a distinctive form of participant observation which I label peopled ethnography. I contrast this to two alternative ethnographic approaches, the personal ethnography and the postulated ethnography. In a peopled ethnography the text is neither descriptive narrative nor conceptual theory; rather, the understanding of the setting and its theoretical implications are grounded in a set of detailed vignettes, based on field notes, interview extracts, and the texts that group members produce. The detailed account, coupled with the ability of the reader to generalize from the setting, is at the heart of this methodological perspective. This form of ethnography is most effectively based on the observation of an interacting group, a setting in which one can explore the organized routines of behavior. I demonstrate the use of peopled ethnography through my own ethnographic investigations, contrasting this approach with classic works from other approaches.