The Ethnographer’s Way guides researchers through the exciting process of turning an initial idea into an in-depth research project. Kristin Peterson and Valerie Olson introduce “multidimensioning,” a method for planning projects that invites scholars to examine their research interests from all angles. Researchers learn to integrate seemingly disparate groups, processes, sites, and things into a unified conceptual framework. The handbook’s ten modules walk readers step-by-step, from the initial lightbulb moment to constructing research descriptions, planning data gathering, writing grant and dissertation proposals, and preparing for fieldwork. Designed for ethnographers and those working across disciplines, these modules provide examples of multidimensional research projects with exercises readers can utilize to formulate their own projects. The authors incorporate group work into each module to break the isolation common in academic project design. In so doing, Peterson and Olson’s handbook provides essential support and guidance for researchers working at all levels and stages of a project.
List of Tables, Examples, Figures, and Formulas xi
Prelude. Why and How to Use This Handbook xvii
Acknowledgments xxvii
Introduction. Multidimensional Concept Work 1
Interlude 1. Creating a Collective Concept Workspace 31
Module 1. Imagine the Research 43
Module 2. Focues on Literatures 69
Module 3. Map Concepts 95
Module 4. Create Multidimensional Concept Combos 111
Module 5. Describe Your Research 139
Module 6. Perceive Your Multidemensional Object 167
Interlude 2. The Inquiry Zones 191
Module 7. The Scoping Zone 195
Module 8. The Connecting Zone 223
Module 9. The Interacting Zone 247
Module 10. Mobilize Your Research Project Grid 273
Postlude. Resting, Reflecting, Preparing to Begin Anew 301
Appendix 1. Scheduling the Modules for Academic Quarters and Semesters 303
Appendix 2. Wilkinson’s Partially Filled Research Project Grid 305
Glossary 309
Notes 315
Bibliography 321
Index
Kristin Peterson is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Speculative Markets: Drug Circuits and Derivative Life in Nigeria, also published by Duke University Press.
Valerie Olson is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Into the Extreme: U.S. Environmental Systems and Politics beyond Earth.
