Introduction to Sociology

Institutional Ethnography

Institutional ethnography is an extension of basic ethnographic research principles that focuses intentionally on everyday concrete social relationships. Developed by Canadian sociologist Dorothy E. Smith, institutional ethnography is often considered a feminist-inspired approach to social analysis and primarily considers women’s experiences within male-dominated societies and power structures. Smith’s work challenges sociology’s exclusion of women, both academically and in the study of women’s lives (Fenstermaker, n.d.).
Historically, social science research tended to objectify women and ignore their experiences except as viewed from a male perspective. Modern feminists note that describing women, and other marginalized groups, as subordinates helps those in authority maintain their own dominant positions (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, n.d.). Smith’s three major works explored what she called “the conceptual practices of power” (1990; cited in Fensternmaker, n.d.) and are still considered seminal works in feminist theory and ethnography.

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11. 
    What research method did John S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd mainly use in their Middletown study?
    
    1. 
       Experiment
       
    2. 
       Secondary data
       
    3. 
       Ethnography
       
    4. 
       Survey
       

12. 
    The main difference between ethnography and other types of participant observation is:
    
    1. 
       Ethnography focuses on how subjects view themselves in relationship to the community
       
    2. 
       Ethnographic studies always involve minority ethnic groups
       
    3. 
       ethnography isn’t based on hypothesis testing
       
    4. 
       ethnography subjects are unaware they’re being studied
       

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