Evaluna Garcia
College Writing 106
January 22, 2026
Professor Diehl
CULTURE AND ETHNOGRAPHY
What is culture?
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An invisible web of behaviors, patterns, rules, and rituals of a group of people who have
contact with one another and share a common language
(Chiseri-Strater and Stone Sunstein 3).
What is a subculture?
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A group within a more dominant culture, organized around common interests, shared
ideas/aesthetics (we are all part of multiple subcultures).
What is a counterculture?
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A group at odds with the values/norms of the dominant culture.
What is an ethnography?
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The text produced by a fieldworker based on their study of a culture.
It emerges from a process, one that involves a connection between the researcher and
their project, the creation of a proposal, ethical fieldwork, fieldnote writing, creative
exploration with multi-modal and multi-vocal writing, and even experimental
representations of findings.
ETHNOGRAPHIES
Blend creativity with academic writing
Elements of creative writing: dialogue, description, scene development, and personal
reflections.
Elements of academic writing: research-based, argument-driven, analytical.
Explore multiple perspectives (opposes a binary view of the world).
Offer an observation for consideration
IMPORTANT TERMS
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Artifact: any material object that belongs to and represents a culture
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Assumption: untested attitudes or theories you hold (based on your own experiences)
about unfamiliar people, places, or ideas.
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Ethnocentric: projecting one’s own values onto others.
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Fieldwork: the process of living and studying among other people in their own context,
with their full permission and cooperation.
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Insider/Outsider Perspectives: the dialectical stance of detachment (outsider) or
involvement (insider) that a researcher adapts toward the informants in the culture
studied.
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Reflection: the act of considering thoughtfully, looking back to gain insight.
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Ritual: specific actions, sometimes scripted, embedded in a culture and sense of
tradition.
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Worldview: literally, the way you perceive the world. Your shared perspective within a
culture (nationality, language, regionality, ethnic/racial identities, religious beliefs, etc).
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Mindset: your individual experiences that filter your worldview.
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