Final answer:
Ethnographic research is deeply rooted in anthropology, involving active fieldwork to observe and engage with various communities from within. It aims to document cultural norms and societal structures, differing from other social sciences in methodology and perspective.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethnographic research is primarily based on the academic discipline of anthropology. This approach involves a deep immersion of the researcher into the social community being studied to observe and understand their everyday life and cultural norms. Ethnographic studies can focus on various environments, such as fishing towns, Inuit communities, or private boarding schools, enabling researchers to document social behaviors, practices, and societal structures from an insider's perspective.
In contrast to the historical armchair anthropology, modern ethnographers are more likely to engage in active fieldwork, requiring them to spend significant time within the community being studied. This includes observing daily routines, participating in events, and sometimes, as in the case of institutional ethnography, focusing on concrete social relationships within particular institutional contexts.
Theories and knowledge produced from ethnography are fundamental to the academic study of human beings, and ethnographic methods can be applied in diverse settings, including urban areas and virtual spaces.
While ethnography is a key component of anthropology, it differs from methods used in other social sciences disciplines such as political science and economics, providing a distinctive lens through which to view human cultures and societies.