The Ethnography of Communication as Applied Methodology: Insights from Three Case Studies

Abstract

Based on three case studies in organizational, health, and institutional settings, we show that research processes and outcomes can have different logics for scholars in the field, for clients, and other participants. We illustrate how applied work prompts researchers to reflect on their shifting research goals and outcomes in the context of interaction with participants and clients.

Keywords:

• Ethnography of Communication
• Applied Research
• Facilitation
• Health Communication
• New Technology
• Migration

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the participants in this study and the funders supporting the study. Ho's work was supported by the San Francisco Jesuit Foundation Grant and Witteborn's work was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (RGC Ref. No. CUHK456010).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saskia Witteborn

Saskia Witteborn (PhD, University of Washington) is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Trudy Milburn

Trudy Milburn (PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst) is an Associate Scholar of the University of Washington Center for Local Strategies Research

Evelyn Y. Ho

Evelyn Y. Ho (PhD, University of Iowa) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and Asian Pacific American Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Each author contributed equally to this manuscript