Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes

by Robert M. Emerson, Rachel I. Fretz, Linda L. Shaw

In this companion volume John van Maanen's Tales of the Field , three scholars reveal how the ethnographer turns direct experience and observation into written fieldnotes upon which an ethnography is based.

Drawing on years of teaching and field research experience, the authors develop a series of guidelines, suggestions, and practical advice about how to write useful fieldnotes in a variety of settings, both cultural and institutional. Using actual unfinished, "working" notes as examples, they illustrate options for composing, reviewing, and working fieldnotes into finished texts. They discuss different organizational and descriptive strategies, including evocation of sensory detail, synthesis of complete scenes, the value of partial versus omniscient perspectives, and of first person versus third person accounts. Of particular interest is the author's discussion of notetaking as a mindset. They show how transforming direct observations into vivid descriptions results not simply from good memory but more crucially from learning to envision scenes as written. A good ethnographer, they demonstrate, must learn to remember dialogue and movement like an actor, to see colors and shapes like a painter, and to sense moods and rhythms like a poet.

The authors also emphasize the ethnographer's core interest in presenting the perceptions and meanings which the people studied attach to their own actions. They demonstrate the subtle ways that writers can make the voices of people heard in the texts they produce. Finally, they analyze the "processing" of fieldnotes--the practice of coding notes to identify themes and methods for selecting and weaving together fieldnote excerpts to write a polished ethnography.

This book, however, is more than a "how-to" manual. The authors examine writing fieldnotes as an interactive and interpretive process in which the researcher's own commitments and relationships with those in the field inevitably shape the character and content of those fieldnotes. They explore the conscious and unconscious writing choices that produce fieldnote accounts. And they show how the character and content of these fieldnotes inevitably influence the arguments and analyses the ethnographer can make in the final ethnographic tale.

This book shows that note-taking is a craft that can be taught. Along with Tales of the Field and George Marcus and Michael Fisher's Anthropology as Cultural Criticism , Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes is an essential tool for students and social scientists alike.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Ethnography, Sociology, Writing, Research Methods, Research

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1995

Reviews

[Hakan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for an introduction to write jottings, fieldnotes, and finally ethnographies. It is also great for get to know the basics of "how to" fieldwork in a practical sense. I've read the second edition of the book. As authors imply, it is reorganized for clearly furthering into the issue of writing fieldnotes.

I, especially, emphasize the book's organization, because, for example, it does not directly give you the footnotes on the same page. Generally I don't like this kind of "endnote" books. But in this case, it does help you to get the idea of not to be exposed of theoretical, conceptual etc. concerns related with ethnography but to write only fieldnotes, in their proper way.

Yes, it is sometimes repetitive, but it only gives you an empty concept, fieldnotes, and teaches you how to fulfill it, and finish ethnographies.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has very helpful strategies for writing and coding field notes, particularly given how often these practices are explained in vague, even obfuscatory ways. What I found frustrating was actually the way race and class were represented in these students' notes and analyses, often betraying an underlying anti-blackness. The authors' uses of "blacks" was especially jarring. In one instance, notes describe an interlocutor pulling his arms back as though skiing and running in place - clearly an instance of doing a dance called the running man. While the authors defend the use of student field notes, it is clear that much of this research was conducted in places where they had little cultural literacy (or in an effort to be ethnographic, reproduced tropes), resulting in stereotyped observations and conclusions despite the authors' explanations otherwise. In that sense, this text is successful in two ways: 1) Explaining the value of field notes and how they can be written to create theory and insights, and 2) Demonstrating the violence of othering your interlocutors.

[Dara B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very helpful practical tips, especially for newbie ethnographers like myself. I wish I had read it before I did my first field research - it would have saved me some time and efforts.

It is also a great book to come back to if you are in the field and have zero motivation to jot little things down promising yourself to write them down later or being sure that you will just 'remember' them. The authors do a very good job of convincing you to write them down NOW - a part that I often find challenging.

[Max Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invaluable resource towards how to write ethnographic fieldnotes and turn them into an ethnography. However, many of the examples are quite dated and problematic.

[John Shirreffs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooh this is a dry one. You got to really be jonesn' for ethnography or getting college credit. Former here. I am a SoCal man living in the south. I recently started observing the natives and their customs. I thought it only fitting to document their ways proper.

[Jan D · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is useful. Fittingly it is also a bit dry: The style is accessible (particularly for a social science book) but the reading was not "fun" (I know, that is rarely the case, but H.S. Becker’s books are, for example "fun" to read, and on similar topics). Aside of that, it is very good. I have few books which made me write that many notes to point to useful snippets and ideas. It also makes a relatively tacit and "It’s-an-art"-aspect of fieldwork graspable. Appropriately for a book dealing with ethnography, it does not provide you with a simple list of "5 most important field not tricks": It is very descriptive, demonstrates by example how fieldnotes can be like, how they can be used, contextualized, analyzed. Thus, the books content goes far beyond it's title: While writing fieldnotes is indeed a large part of of it's content, it also talks about their use in analysis and writing monographs. This is not for stretching the number of pages but the parts on use of fieldnotes connects naturally with content on their writing.

[Melvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that provides detailed instructions (really suggestions) for how to write and use fieldnotes. I should have read this book before I started my fieldwork (lol oops) because even though I knew that I should be writing a fieldnote immediately after or within 24 hours of every site visit (which I still didn't do - thank you to my decent memory), I didn't know what I needed to include in these notes. I took jottings during every site visit and this book gave me ideas on how to expand on them in my notes. Reading examples of fieldnotes was also very useful for seeing how other people do it. Saying "write fieldnotes" isn't helpful for me when I don't know what I'm 'supposed' to produce. I now understand writing fieldnotes to be a mix of documenting what happened (as I experienced it) and focusing on specific events of interest - all of which may include a small degree of fictionalization, but ultimately staying truthful to what was observed/experienced.

[Emily Havens · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me years to get through it. I almost gave it 3 stars for that reason. But as as someone who has had almost no formal ethnography training, but plans to dabble in ethnographic writing, it was a helpful read.

It gives lots of concrete tips and examples. It talks about things like: ways to take field notes; how to organize the field notes; pros and cons of writing in first person or third person; thinking about your audience; and representing the studied group well.

[Lori Goshert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This showed up in my "readers also enjoyed" today. What a blast from the past! I own this and read it in college. I think we read Tales from the Field as well, or at least part of it. At the time I was training to be an ethnomusicologist, but I became a writer instead (though I do often write about music!).

[Sara Bombardieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo volume riporta molti spunti, lo ritengo estremamente utile per chi si approccia a scrivere diari di campo. Spesso il fatto che questo tema sia ritenuto molto personale, da un lato frena le riflessioni e le condivisioni circa le note di campo. Questo siciramente è un buon punto di partenza per iniziare una riflessione.

[Mahnoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this for one of our graduate qualitative research methods class when we reached the ethnography module and this textbook provided a very in-depth review and guide regarding fieldnotes. It was super useful and I ended up using the suggestions and steps for not just jotting down my fieldnotes but for a research methods training I had to conduct.

[Gino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a helpful resource in future ethnographic research and writing I get to do. Very detailed and thorough making it a little dry at times. But worth using as a reference, I’m sure.

Some of the language is dated and could use a cultural revision/footnote.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for doctoral qualitative methods class. This convinced me I will never be an ethnographer, but I'm glad I learned more about this method.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although verbose, this ethnography text was truly inspirational and offered clear, concise instructions for conducting field research.

[Heather]

Read for school, so no rating but it was fine for those wanting to learn ethnography. I hated the way they would switch between he and she all the time.

[NAOMI POINDEXTER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used in Qual 1
Very important to reread about taking notes during interviews etc.

[🌸🦋 María 🦋🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kim]

A must have if you do enthographic research

[Nicole Aziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

super helpful and very straightforward, I will definitely be using all what I learned from this book in my personal ethnographic fieldwork for my religion class!

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful - I read the pdf, second edition for class.

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remains the best book on participant observation and fieldnotes that I've found and used thus far.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best and most thorough guide to writing fieldnotes I have ever read.

[Lily Keefauver · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for a class, quite dense and comprehensive. Not necessarily super easy to read especially if you're new to ethnography, but great when paired with other resources. Very useful.

[ekrobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of an ethnography class. Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw's work is extremely insightful, and gives insight into the process of taking, organizing, and compiling fieldnotes!

[Amy Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it's a textbook about writing. There's only so much you can do with that.

[Jenn C Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful while crafting my methodology section.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s got some good tips but it so often so very very dry that they are lost.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring

[Completelybanned · Rating 5 out of 5]

The go-to book for ethnographers-in-training. I love the ethnomethodology element, in particular.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by spending too much time with this book.