Ethnographic methods: Applications from developmental cultural psychology.

Ethnographic modes of inquiry have had a long and distinguished history in the social sciences, especially in anthropology and sociology. Like all interpretive methods, ethnographic approaches are oriented to the study of meaning, but, in the case of ethnographic methods, meaning is understood to be constructed by culture--that is, by collectively shared and transmitted symbols, understandings, and ways of being. The recent renewal of interest in cultural psychology makes it timely to consider the nature of ethnographic methods, given the affinity of ethnography for problems in cultural psychology. An overview of the ethnographic method, as well as illustrations of the method in process, are provided.