Ethnography and ethical life

Abstract

This is a reflection on the relationship between ethnography (as practice and as product) and ethical life. I suggest that there are values internal to the practice of ethnography as fieldwork, as writing, and as reading, irrespective of the historically situated objects and values of ethnography external to it. I summarize my understanding of ethical life as it emerged from my ethnographic experience and reading, focusing on acts of practical judgment and their consequences. I reflect briefly on the ethical nature of ethnographic practice itself.