Analyze an Ethnography:

Ethnographies are the descriptive written results of the study and systematic recording of a culture, generally by a trained anthropologist. Thousands of these have been written over the last century. Choose one of the twelve recommended ethnographies listed below (all are available for purchase new and used, and many will be found in libraries). The review should follow the five-section format described below, including the headings. Ethnography reviews must be typed (single spaced), professional in appearance, and typically are several pages in length.

Recommended Ethnographies
Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler
The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest Worldby Bruce M. Knauft
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
You Owe Yourself a Drunk: An Ethnography of Urban Nomads by James Spradley
When Men are Women: Manhood Among the Gabra Nomads of East Africa by John Colman Wood
The Body Silent: The Different World of the Disabled by Robert Murphy
Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor by Paul Farmer
Mad Dogs, Englishmen, and the Errant Anthroplogist: Fieldwork in Malaysia by Douglas Raybeck
Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on Tropical Island by Martha Ward
Maps and Dreams: Indians and the British Columbia Frontier by Hugh Brody
The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut by Nigel Barley
First Fieldwork: The Misadventures of an Anthropologist by Barbara Gallatin Anderson

FORMAT
Section 1: INTRODUCTION
This is a clear statement of the central theme, focus, issue, or problem the ethnographer investigated. Be certain to state the title of the ethnography and who did the research.

Section 2: METHODS
This describes the methods the ethnographer used to collect data (e.g., interview, observation) and the techniques (e.g., statistical, case study) used to analyze the data.

Section 3: CONTENT
Provide a chapter-by-chapter survey of the contents of the ethnography and evaluate how well it supports the stated goal(s) of the ethnography.

Section 4: DISCUSSION
Does theoretical perspective of the ethnographer color the analysis of the data? Are the methods and data adequate for dealing with the research problems? Does the author attempt to generalize the findings? Discuss the most important issues of the ethnography.

Section 5: CONCLUSION
Did the ethnography reinforce or undermine any of your assumptions about human behavior? Did the ethnography help you understand more deeply, something about your own culture?