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Design Anthropology: Software development by participatory observation

Published on October 4, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, corporate & business anthropology, design anthropology, fieldwork / methods, technology, websites

Anne Lau Revil’s homepage

Software design is usually undertaken by IT specialists, who have a technical training. Few have a sociocultural background. In this paper I will show several examples of software design as sociocultural adjustments, and more specifically how anthropologists may contribute.

Finally, I will discuss how the value of the anthropological contribution to the development of software systems may be improved through the development of more flexible methods of communicating the research to both the academic world and the user community. >> continue (pdf, 14 pages) or go to Anne Lau Revil’s homepageJoel Spolsky: Over the next decade, I expect that software companies will hire people trained as anthropologists and ethnographers to work on social interface design (found via Conversations with Dina – Dina Mehta’s Blog)

UPDATE Links updated with copy from the Internet Archive. The website was removed.

Anne Lau Revil's homepage

An Ethnographic Study on Online Communities in Saudi Arabia

Published on October 4, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, cyberanthropology, fieldwork / methods, internet, journal articles / papers, Middle East

Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS)

The aim of this article is to discuss the lessons learned from conducting semi-structured interviews online in an ethnographic study that took place in Saudi Arabia during the period 2001-2002.

The purpose of the study was to explore individuals’ participation in online communities in Saudi Arabia and also understand how online communities in Saudi Arabia are affecting participants’ offline culture. Semi-structured online interviews were used to report the perceptions of 15 participants (8 females, 7 males) about their online community experience in Saudi Arabia. >> continue

PS: This article is part of the 16th Issue of the open-access journal “Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research” (FQS) that now is available online.

Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS)

The aim of this article is to discuss the lessons learned from conducting semi-structured interviews online in an ethnographic study that took place in Saudi Arabia during the period 2001-2002.

The purpose of the study was to…

“Netnography,” – faster and cheaper ethnography on the Internet

Published on September 15, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, corporate & business anthropology, cyberanthropology, fieldwork / methods, internet, technology

Karen Lee, University of Texas at Austin

“Netnography,” coined from ‘ethnography on the Internet,’ is an emerging qualitative research methodology adapting ethnographic research techniques to the study of cultures and communities constructed through the Internet. It uses information that is publicly available in online forums to identify and understand the needs and decision influences of relevant online consumer groups. Compared with traditional and market-oriented ethnography, netnography is far less time consuming and elaborate >> continue

Karen Lee, University of Texas at Austin

"Netnography," coined from 'ethnography on the Internet,' is an emerging qualitative research methodology adapting ethnographic research techniques to the study of cultures and communities constructed through the Internet. It uses information that is publicly…

The Okavango Delta Peoples of Botswana and The Maithil Brahmans in India

Published on September 4, 2004 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, Asia, fieldwork / methods, websites

Two new links, found via Science Blog/ Open Directory Project:

The Okavango Delta Peoples of Botswana: Short overview, many links. By John Bock, professor in the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Fullerton: “The Okavango Delta of the Republic of Botswana is a large wetland surrounded by the Kalahari desert. The Okavango is a unique ecosystem and has large populations of African mammals, birds, and other animals. Of less interest have been the 100,000 people who call the Delta home. This site is dedicated to the dissemination of information concerning the Okavango Delta People” >> continue

The Maithil Brahmans in India: an online ethnography by Carolyn Brown Heinz, Department of Anthropology California State University, Chico – including fieldnotes and many pictures. Confusing site navigation. >> continue

Two new links, found via Science Blog/ Open Directory Project:

The Okavango Delta Peoples of Botswana: Short overview, many links. By John Bock, professor in the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Fullerton: "The Okavango Delta of the Republic…

Research Shows FCC and Chinese American Families Share Similar Issues

Published on August 20, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, fieldwork / methods, migration, Northern America

scanews.com

What is Chinese cultural heritage? How do we pass it on to the next generation, particularly as it changes in the context of U.S. society? These are issues shared by many adoptive Chinese families and Chinese American families.

Since 2000, Dr. Andrea Louie, a cultural anthropologist from Michigan State University, has been interviewing St. Louis area families who have adopted from China. Her research focuses on whether, how, and why adoptive families teach their children about China and Chinese culture. She conducts her research by participating in adoption-related events, such as those organized by local adoption agencies and by the St. Louis chapter of Families with Children from China. She also interviews adoptive families about their adoption stories and attitudes toward China and Chinese culture. >> continue

scanews.com

Since 2000, Dr.…