Ethnography: principles, practice and potential

Ethnography is a methodology gaining popularity in nursing and healthcare research. It is concerned with studying people in their cultural context and how their behavior, either as individuals or as part of a group, is influenced by this cultural context. Ethnography is a form of social research and has much in common with other forms of qualitative enquiry. Whilst classical ethnography was characteristically concerned with describing 'other' cultures, contemporary ethnography has focused it concern to settings nearer to home. This article outlines some of the underlying principles and practice of ethnography and its potential for nursing and healthcare practice