Not surprising at all. I think though the article suffers from the same problems as the sampling of "ethnographies" it refers to - it is merely descriptive, with no contextual analysis (and erasure of context and a posturing of Knowledge formed on inadequate investigation of layered contexts, as far as I am concerned, *is* a lack of objectivity) or critical engagement. thanks for passing on the link. r At 11:45 AM 1/7/2004 -0600, you wrote:
AoIR colleagues,
There is a short, interesting article in Spiked about the appropriation of ethnography by business and government:
'Ethnography' exposed by Martyn Perks (spiked-IT, 30 December 2003) http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/00000006E039.htm
This is an old topic, and this is not a very good *analytic* treatment (it seems to recommend objectivity as a remedy for poor ethnography). However, the article is a very good *descriptive* treatment, mentioning some provocative current manifestations: real-life 'cool hunters' (see Gibson's _Pattern Recognition_), elected politicians as pseudo- ethnographers, and revisiting ethnographic approaches to understanding broadband Internet use.
Christian
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