Podcast
The Ethnography Atelier podcast discusses research methods with accomplished qualitative researchers. We talk to guests about their experiences of conducting research in and around organizations, the challenges they faced and the understandings they gained. If you have comments about the podcast or you'd like to get involved, please contact us.
Episode 2 - Susan Silbey: Team Ethnography
Ruthanne Huising and Pedro Monteiro • 20/12/2018
We are joined by Professor Susan Silbey from M.I.T in our second episode which explores a team approach to ethnography. Ethnography is a qualitative approach originated in anthropology that is widely used today in many academic areas and also applied research. It is heavily grounded in the study of naturally occurring phenomena, usually via observation. The goal is to understand and describe social processes from the perspective of the people studied by being immersed in their reality. While traditionally associated with a single researcher, many benefits may come from a team approach. In our conversation, Susan elaborates on the benefits of a team approach to ethnography, the reasons which lead her to adopt it in a multi-year study of the implementation of safety regulations in scientific labs, and the lessons she learned from this experience.
Further information on Team Ethnography:
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Evans, J., Huising, R., & Silbey, S. S. (2016). "Accounting for Accounts: Crafting Ethnographic Validity through Team Ethnography" in Handbook of Qualitative Organizational Research Innovative Pathways and Methods. Routledge, New York.
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Huising, R., & Silbey, S. S. (2011). "Governing the gap: Forging safe science through relational regulation" Regulation & Governance, 5(1), 14-42.
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Silbey, S. S. (2004). "Designing qualitative research projects" In Workshop on scientific foundations of qualitative research (p. 121).