Author Description

"The authors weave together narratives of practice and theory that draw on their own field work and that of a novice ethnographer. Their stories take us outside the usual progression of how-to-do ethnography, which moves from research question to data collection and analysis to publication. Readers learn of the motivations and mishaps behind the author's own classic ethnographic studies of language, multimodel literacies, and community practices. The authors use their stories to illustrate the power of curiosity, connection, and continuity in ethnographic pursuits. Keeping language and literacy at the center of attention, this volume offers practical ways for ethnographers to sustain their attention to a constant comparative perspective and to patters of co-occurence in language structures, uses, and values. Appropriate for new and experienced researchers, this readable volume includes examples of ethnographic studies in Australia, Iran, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States."--BOOK JACKET.