Writer's Journal # 13

 Practicing Ethnography

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Text Published:

Practicing Ethnography

The church is smaller comparing to those in the area. People of all ages visit the religious space, but the majority are older persons, mainly woman. What I see in less quantity are young people and I seldom see children. They speak portuguese because the church is in Brazil. They dress in an informal but respectful way.

Besides the pews to people to sit and kneel, there are some saints images, to whom people direct part of their prayers, which also goes to the huge cross at the center of the wall behind the altar. In the cross, the image of Jesus Christ.

Everybody is allowed to enter the church, considering they are well dressed and behave accordingly. Otherwise, they may be asked to leave the premisses. 

There are those who use the physical space to get some rest and some, even take a nap. It seems a contradictions, but those who respect the silence and do not make a fuss in the church, are the ones who stands out. If you speak loudly and behave in a not quite way, you may feel unconfortable in such a place, although not everyone. 

The objects in the church and people which go there represent a way to express spirituality and religion. The church makes me think about my  culture , my community and my identity because I have been a religious person since my understanding of myself and of the world.

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Draft:

The church is smaller comparing to those in the area. People of all ages visit the religious space, but the majority are older persons, mainly women. What I see less is very young children. They speak portuguese because the church is in Brazil. They dress in a informal by respectful way.

Besides the pews to people to sit and kneel, there are some saints statues, to whom people direct part of their prayers, also direct to the huge cross at the center of the back wall. 

Everybody is allowed to enter the church, considering they are well dressed and behave accordingly. There are those who use the physical space to get some rest and some, even take a nap. It seems a contradictions, but those who respect the silence and do not make a fuss in the church, are the ones who stands out. If you speak loudly and behave in a not quite way, you will feel unconfortable in such a place. 

The objects and people represente a way to express their spirituality and religion. The church makes me think about my  culture , my community and my identity because I have been a religious person since my understanding of the world.

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Instructions:

Writer’s Journal #13 – Practicing Ethnography

OVERVIEW
Developing an “ethnographic eye” (learning to read spaces like an ethnographer) is a skill that ethnographers develop over a lifetime. Like all skills, practicing to see with an “ethnographic eye” makes one better at observing the world in this way.

DIRECTIONS
In this Writer’s Journal, you will begin to develop an “ethnographic eye.” In order to do so, please complete the following activities and respond to the questions for each activity:

- Select a space: Identify a public space in your community that you often frequent (e.g., a market, a park, a shopping mall, a restaurant, coffee shop, university/college). Take your research notebook and visit that space. Your purpose is to merely observe objects, actions, and language used in this space.

- Read the space: What do you notice? Who is present? Who is absent? What language is spoken? What characteristics do you notice about the people in the space (gender, age, dress)? What objects are in the space? How are they used? Are there flags, statues, books, technology? Only write what you can see. Try not to make any value judgments. Description is the object of this practice exercise.

- Analyze the Space: Who is not allowed in the space and why? What does the dress of the people “say” about them? Why do they use the space in the particular ways you observed? Who would likely feel uncomfortable in the space? Who would stand out in this environment? Who would blend in in this environment? Why? What cultural values are represented in the objects, people, and/or purpose of the space? What story does this space tell about your culture or community?

Be sure to be as detailed and thorough as possible, and use examples to help explain your responses.

SUBMIT
Please type (or paste) your response to these questions in the box below. Be sure to read over your response to be sure it says what you want it to say. Once you are satisfied with your response:

1. save your progress,

2. copy your response so that you can include it in your portfolio,

3. and submit your response.

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Done!

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