This research group provides a hub for staff and graduate students of the School whose research interests - empirical, methodological and theoretical - are correspondent with ethnographic and/or qualitative methods, and interpretive analysis.
The activities of the group focus on issues around ethnography — as practice and product — and cultural analysis concerned with the interpretive understanding of meaning, symbols and language.
The research group members come from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds including sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, social work, social policy and cultural studies.
There is a strong tradition of ethnographic and interpretive work within the School of Social Sciences, and this group provides a forum for sustaining and developing this work.
Aims
The main aims of the Ethnography, Culture and Interpretive Analysis research group are:
- to sustain and develop high quality ethnographic, qualitative and interpretive research, writing and other scholarly activity at Cardiff ;
- to foster the intellectual interests of research group members, and provide support for research and scholarly activity in ethnographic, cultural and interpretive fields;
- to engage collectively and collaboratively with ongoing and critical debates within ethnographic, cultural and interpretive research;
- to build on existing national and international research links and collaborations within ethnographic, cultural and interpretive research
Research
Doctoral research fields and areas of supervision Include
- Laboratory Ethnography
- Gender and Identity
- Subcultures and Deviance
- Art and Culture
- Contemporary Wales and Political Ethnography
- Spaces, Places and Material Culture
- Medical Work
- Educational Ethnography
Methods and innovation:
- Mobile Methods
- Hypermedia
- Participatory Methods
- Urban Ethnography
- Narrative and Discourse
- Visual Methods
- Ethnography of Embodiment
The group engages in a range of activities. These include:
- Data sharing and analysis workshops
- Occasional guest speakers (often in collaboration with other research groups)
- Half-day workshops/seminars on key debates, topics and issues
- Research presentations and development of proposals, via round table meetings and discussion groups
- The international peer reviewed journal Qualitative Research is edited by senior members of the group
- Members of the group are also connected with the Knowing Localities in Context projects based inWISERD
Meet the team
Academic staff
Professor Paul Atkinson
Emeritus Professor
Professor Matthew Williams
Chair in Criminology - School of Social Sciences, Director - ESRC Social Data Science Lab, Director - ESRC HateLab
Publications
- Atkinson, P. A. , Delamont, S. and Housley, W. 2008. Contours of culture : complex ethnography and the ethnography of complexity. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press.
- Williams, M. L. 2006. Virtually criminal: crime, deviance and regulation online. London: Routledge.
- Dicks, B. et al. 2005. Qualitative research and hypermedia: ethnography for the digital age. New Technologies for Social Research Series London: Sage.
- Atkinson, P. A. and Housley, W. 2003. Interactionism. BSA new horizons in sociology London: Sage.
- Hall, T. A. 2003. Better times than this: youth homelessness in Britain. Pluto Press.
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