Ethnography and Ethics

Abstract

Ethnography is commonly defined as a description of a people's culture, values, and normative beliefs. Presumably, ethnography can inform us about culturally specific ethical beliefs and the nature of ethics. What that study reveals is the focus of this essay, which will provide an introduction to the contemporary literature on ethnography and ethics, first by giving a brief history of the topic, noting the disciplinary and theoretical reasons for its recent emergence, and then by examining how ethnography can inform ethical reflection on normative behavior and moral forms of life. The essay will conclude with a consideration of the potential tensions and contradictions in the application of ethnography to the study of ethics.