Family Ethnography and Kinship Chart - Essay Example

Family Ethnography and Kinship Chart This is an ethnography essay that involves analysis of methodologies used to collect family data and represent the family kinship in a chart form. Ethnography refers to a scientific research methodology often applied in the field of social sciences, mostly in anthropology and in a few branches of sociology, also recognized as part of chronological science that analyzes people, ethnic groups and other cultural formations, their ethno genesis, resettlement, composition, social welfare features, as well as their spiritual and material.

In this paper, family history is analyzed and proper kinship representation provided (Fetterman 10). Methodology applicable in collecting kinship and ethnographic data There are many methodologies that assist in family ethnography and kinship data collection. One of the most common techniques for gathering data in an ethnographic research is direct, personal observation of daily participation. This is a cheap process and assisted my process of collecting the family data since daily observation and discussion with people help me discover how I am related with my immediate family members.

It was time and economically efficient though not conclusive and extensive in collecting data of relatives not around. This process basically comprised participant observation and analysis. Another typical method is interviewing, which comprised conversation with diverse levels of category and can entails small talk to long interviews (Fetterman 50). This survey approach also assisted during data collection method since it relatively easy and involving. Data collected through the process are more accurate and precise compared to those from observation process.

A particular strategy to transcribing interview information might be genealogical technique. This is a stipulate of procedures by which I discovered and documented connections of kinship, this was possible through analysis of descent and marriage of the relatives. Representation of data collected through this method was simple since I could use diagrams and symbols that are easy to interpret and understand. Another instrumental tool that assisted during my family ethnography research was semi structured questionnaires.

Questionnaires can be applied to help the discovery of local beliefs and discernments and in the case of longitudinal research like my case study, where there is incessant long-term study of an segment, they can operate as valid tool for measuring transformation in the individuals or groups processes. Traditionally, the ethnographer concentrates attention on a society, selecting well-informed informants who know well the actions of the community or family. This conventional approach was also handy during my collection since most data were gathered from one of my oldest and knowledgeable grandfather.

These informants are normally asked to recognize other informants who symbolize the family or society, often using sequence sampling (Fetterman 67). This procedure is often effectual in revealing common cultural common indicators connected to the theme being researched. Ethnography relies significantly on up-close, personal knowledge. Participation, rather than mere observation, is one of the primary concepts of this process. Participants Most of my respondents were family members (surrounding and distant).

Family gathering and get together become researching ground since I could quickly ask many relatives about lineage without interrupting the event proceedings. The grandfather who is the main source is always at his place so I could visit him every evening. Distance relatives have access to social communication tools such as emails, Skype and telephones. My Family ethnography My great grandfather came to America because or religious upheaval between the Muslim and Christian. In my family, my Great grandfather lived to be over 110 years of age, unfortunately exact age could not be ascertain since no proper records were kept then.

During the interviews I was doing is when I come to realize that grandfather had two other wives despite the religious lifestyle. Her first wife Elizabeth was a dedicated Muslim. The second and my great grandmother were staunch Christians. Elizabeth and second wife of my great grandfather had constant disagreement leading to separation so Muslim grandma separated with grandpa and led him to come to America from Middle East. In the midst of this great American Revolution the family kept Christianity faith up to date.

A pert from grandfather polygamy story the lineage has remained committed to one wife one husband practice. Constraints and Limitations Distance is a problem for any research project and this one was no exception. I had to devise means of collecting data as much as possible within the limitation of time and finance. The limitations formed my justification concept of choosing different methodologies to make process easy and flexible. The objective of the research to get the longest lineage of my family ethnography thus usage of different methods is very handy.

Distance limitation could not deter me from collecting extensive information due globalization that has taken place in communication technologies. Telephone interviews, emailed responses, Skype and video conferencing are some of the collection instruments that assisted in collecting data from distant relatives. Data analysis and Kinship chart Interpretation of data analysis is an essential process to make the research work reliable and valid. It also makes non-researchers to be able to understand the work.

Presence of Microsoft software with chart capabilities assisted me in presenting the data gathered during research. This represented my kinship chart. Patrilineal descent diagram The data above represent the kinship chart that I collected during my family ethnography research. The software has assisted me to represent research in a format that can be interpreted by various readers. Conclusion The general concept of the family is religious and more strictly Christianity. The value of family unity is also essential and secret in this family.

Work Cited Fetterman, David M. Ethnography: Step-by-step. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2010. Print.