Description

A composite of the terms “Ethno” (people or folk) and “graphy” (describing something), ethnography seeks to understand people in the context of their lives, and often from their own perspectives. To arrive at this knowledge, ethnographers engage in “fieldwork,” which is an immersion in the everyday lives of people. The “field” can be defined in many different ways; for example, a neighborhood, a country, an organization, a community, a business, etc.  Ethnography takes time; researchers can spend months and even years collecting data or working alongside a community. The process is complex and often has unpredictable dimensions. This exercise is a concentrated “express,” version of ethnography that conforms to the often limited time frame of the SOCIOARC process.

If time allows, SOCIOARC practitioners can consider engaging in more extensive ethnographic practices, using the many resources available (for example Sage’s “Little Blue Books” in the Qualitative Research Methods Series - QRMS). One specially useful resource for spatial ethnographic techniques is Setha Low et al.’s Toolkit for the Ethnographic Study of Space (TESS), described by the authors as “an in-depth method for studying the everyday life of a particular public space. It is a qualitative method that helps you understand the meaning and context of what you learn….. TESS provides a snapshot that can be used to understand the social dynamics of a public space at a moment in time.” (2019, p. 3)

EES created by Jackie O'Neal at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, NJ - 3/4/25

EES created by Martha Afflu at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, NJ - 3/5/25

Martha Afflu then built off of the initial EES analysis with this proposal for possible changes / additions to the space that was the site of the initial investigation

Steps

1) Select a site to observe. Define a place/event of observation.

The site to observe may be the specific site you are designing for or an area that will give you an understanding of a specific relationship between people and the built environment. This could be the segment of a street, a building, a party, a theater, a restaurant, etc. For example, I might want to understand how people relate to benches and select a park with benches.

 2) Decide when and how you will observe the site.

This involves some preparation. Is it a public or private place? Do you have to contact someone and ask for permission? Do you need to get consent? Do you need to get IRB approval in your institution for interacting with people?

3) Observe the site for 30-60 minutes and take field notes in the EES Table.

Field notes are the main tool of the ethnographer. In a field note, the ethnographer captures as much as they can of the place and people they are focused on. While ethnographic observation can be eye-opening, revealing and, even fun, intentional observation can be hard and intense; all ethnographic engagement requires alertness, attention, readiness, flexibility, and preparation. And full sensorial engagement is required: watching, listening, smelling, scrutinizing setting, listening for tone, watching expressions. Before engaging in observation, there are questions of ethics, safety, and confidentiality to consider, and people may not want to be “studied” or “examined” or “bothered.” Prepare beforehand and be ready and responsive to the moment.   (See Methodological Primer). 

4) Organize field notes into a 3x8 table of categories described below.

We build these categories from  Neuman (2006, p. 292), who classifies types of field note information into four categories: direct observation, inferential, analytic, and personal. To these four categories, we added four more, for a total of eight categories (illustrated in the table below).  These should all be considered in relation to three elements: People, Space, and Aesthetics. Note that it is not imperative to gather information in all of these categories. Furthermore, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, it may be that some of the inferential information crosses over to the policy or analytical. Do not worry about information crossing over. The idea is to be sure to be prompted in these areas and that they support your ethnographic observation.

5) Once the fieldnotes have been gathered, the ethnographer engages in analytical processes.

You can follow a traditional coding process (See Coding Exercise for a description). Another option is to share and exchange field notes with others and engage in discussion about what were some visible patterns in each category of observation. What elements of the social, spatial, and aesthetic elements were visible? What kinds of inferences were made?

6) Write a report of your findings. If you are working on a design project, describe what you learned that will be of relevance for the design. 

Resources

Low, S., Simpson, T., & Scheld, S. (2019). Toolkit for the Ethnographic Study of Space TESS (p. 20). Public Space Research Group, Center for Human Environments, City University of New York.

• Lynch, K. (1992). The image of the city (21st ed). Mit press.
• Neuman, W. L. (2006). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson/AandB.