Definition of Ethnography

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Ethnography: The study of specific human cultures. The branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of human cultures. Ethnography sprang from social anthropology and first focused on small communities that shared culturally specific beliefs and practices.

Ethnography is applicable to health care. For example, ethnography can examine how health care is influenced by the culture of the patient and how ethnocentric beliefs on the part of health professionals may impede care.

From the French ethnographie, from ethno- (from the Greek ethnos, race, people) + -graphie (from the Greek graphein, to write) = literally, to write (about) a people.