Simply Institutional Ethnography

This guide explores the fundamentals of institutional ethnography, emphasizing social relations and key concepts that shape individual experiences. Simply Institutional Ethnography offers valuable insights for researchers.

Written by two leading experts in the field, Simply Institutional Ethnography serves as a comprehensive guide to the core principles of institutional ethnography. This approach originated as a feminist alternative to traditional sociological methods that often treat individuals merely as subjects of study. Instead, institutional ethnography delves into the social relations that shape the experiences of the individuals being examined, offering a richer understanding of their lives within broader societal contexts.

In Simply Institutional Ethnography, authors Dorothy Smith and Alison Griffith draw from decades of pioneering research to outline the foundational elements of this sociological approach. They introduce essential concepts such as Discourse, Work, and Text, which have been instrumental in helping institutional ethnographers analyze and interpret the experiences of people. The authors emphasize how these concepts can be utilized to create a cohesive ethnography that reveals the interconnected social relations that extend beyond individual experiences.

The book not only explicates the foundational principles and key concepts of institutional ethnography but also reflects on the potential directions for the field's future development. By making the complexities of social relations visible, Simply Institutional Ethnography encourages readers to reconsider how they engage with and understand the social structures that influence everyday life.