ethnography

American  

[eth-nog-ruh-fee] / ɛθˈnɒg rə fi /

noun

1. a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures.

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ethnography British  

/ ˌɛθnəʊˈɡræfɪk, ɛθˈnɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of individual human societies

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ethnography Scientific  

/ ĕth-nŏg′rə-fē /

1. The branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of specific human cultures.

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Usage

What is ethnography? Ethnography is a branch of anthropology that analyzes and describes specific human cultures. Anthropology is a broad field of science that studies human culture from the macro level. Ethnography, on the other hand, studies one specific culture as thoroughly as possible. Typically, this is done by what is known as participant observation. That means the ethnographer actually travels to the location of the culture they are studying and immerses themselves in it as much as possible. For example, an ethnographer interested in the people of Barbados would move to the island and live among the people for an extended time. In ethnography, a researcher builds a detailed, factual profile of a culture because they have lived in it themselves. An ethnographer will eat the cultural food, observe local holidays, participate in local rituals, and try to live their life exactly the same as a local would. This direct approach separates ethnography from other subfields of anthropology. Usually, anthropologists study a culture by researching such things as the artwork, language, or literature. The similarly named ethnology is a subfield of anthropology that studies different cultures more broadly and compares them to each other.

Other Word Forms

• ethnographer noun
• ethnographic adjective
• ethnographical adjective
• ethnographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ethnography

First recorded in 1825–35; ethno- + -graphy

Compare meaning

How does ethnography compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ethnography vs. ethnology

Explanation

Ethnography is a type of anthropology that involves studying people in a particular society or culture by observing them in their natural setting. A student of ethnography might live in Moscow to gather information about Russian marriage practices. First appearing in 1834, the noun ethnography combines the word ethno, meaning "race, culture," and graph, meaning "writing." If you study ethnography, you typically collect information through first-hand observation by participating in the society or culture you're studying. For example, as an ethnography student you might research the religious practices of an African tribe by living among the tribe members and taking part in their rituals and ceremonies.

Example Sentences

With precision and care, the author elegantly chronicles his own shame, envy, boredom, regret and despair, illuminating his experiences with insights from philosophy, psychology, ethnography and history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

At Ipsos we use focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnography, and neuroscience tools to uncover why voters feel the way they do.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2024

“Accordion Eulogies” is as much a musical ethnography as it is a book about Álvarez’s family.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

It also bears mentioning that much of the research into exercise physiology, paleoanthropology, archaeology and ethnography has historically been conducted by men and focused on males.

From Scientific American • Oct. 17, 2023

The Noble Savage dates back as far as the first full-blown ethnography of American indigenous peoples, Bartolome de Las Casas’s Apologetica Historia Sumaria, written mainly in the 1530s.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann