Mapping Social Relations: A Primer in Doing Institutional Ethnography

By Marie L. Campbell and Frances Gregor

Book Overview

Published Under the Garamond Imprint Available in the US through AltaMira Press. This is a book about a distinctive methodological approach inspired by one of Canada's most respected scholars, Dorothy Smith. Institutional ethnography aims to answer questions about how everyday life is organized. What is conventionally understood as "the relationship of micro to macro processes" is, in institutional ethnography, conceptualized and explored in terms of ruling relations. The authors suggest that institutional ethnographers must adopt a particular research stance, one that recognizes that people's own knolwedge and ways of knowing are crucial elements of social action and thus of social analysis. Specific attention to text analysis is integral to the approach. Institutional ethnography is remarkably well-suited to the human service curriculum and the training of professionals and activists. Its strategy for learning how to understand problems existing in everyday life appeals to many researchers who are looking for guidance on how to take practical action. At the same time, the highly elaborated theoretical foundation of institutional ethnography is difficult to deal with in the brief time most students are in the classroom. The authors successfully tackle the issue of teaching and applying institutional ethnography. Campbell and Gregor have been testing out instructional methods and materials for many years. Mapping Social Relations is the product of that effort.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155193034X
• ISBN13: 9781551930343
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

excellent and accessible

You don't even have to be interested in IE specifically to find this an engrossing and useful read. Any fan of Foucault would enjoy this. In fact, I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in how systems shape us or in institutional culture. Any working person would find this illuminates ways our own organizations shape our work, priorities, actions, etc., usually without our noticing it. You have to see it to be able to change it, and this book will radically enhance your vision, and likely explain some of the consistent frustrations you feel at work.

A prime Primer

This is, to date, the best introductory text on IE that I have seen. The authors provide a wonderful overview of IE and guide the reader through the research process. In addition, they refer to several different exemplars of institutional ethnography - mostly by former students of Dorothy Smith - giving the reader a sense of the range of applications of this methodology. Accessible, comprehensive and encouraging in its tone, this text is a wise purchase for anyone interested in exploring IE.