Conference Report: Auf unsicherem Terrain – Ethnographische Forschung im Kontext des Bildungs- und Sozialwesens [On Unfamiliar Terrain—Ethnographical Research in the Fields of Education and Social Work]

Abstract

The gradual spread of ethnographic in human science and that ethnographic methods in research related to education and social work are still rather new were the starting points of the conference. The aim of the conference was to evoke a discussion about previous experiences in research with ethnographic methods, not only within but also between different disciplines such as social work, sociology, and educational science. The discussions revealed that there is still some kind of reluctance regarding the use of ethnographic methods in social research related to education and social work. However, the conference demonstrated that there exist various attempts to solve methodological problems in ethnographic research. Despite different conceptualizations, presenters agreed on the relevance and necessity of reflecting on the researchers' point of view and the process of "going native." The presenters identified limits and open questions in taking field notes and the forms of representing ethnographic research. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0703105

Keywords

• ethnography
• field entry
• note taking
• data analysis and representation
• researcher's role
• ethnographic education research
• ethnographic social work research