According my draft, please answer the following questions. What? finding a comfortable spot where you can observe a person or a group of people related to your final paper project while taking note

Ethnographic Research about the Popular Culture

Summary/Introduction

Ethnography is a crucial aspect of the society, as it does not only represent a people of various backgrounds, but it also enables researchers to explain the means to coexistence among different sets of cultures. Cultural differences manifest in various social institutions such as the political setup of a community, social norms, cultural beliefs of a community, the economic system, and an identity language of a community. With the knowledge of cultural diversity, an individual realizes the importance of promoting peaceful coexistence in the society as compared to when a person only knows about his or her culture and expects others to conform to it. To develop a better understanding of the difference in cultural patterns between communities, it is important that a person first recognize the equality of the human race since this will not only enable him or her to shun perceived prejudices, but it will also enable the person to appreciate the diversity of race. On this note, an ethnographic research of the popular culture will present the cultural patterns that are unique to particular communities in the world.

The popular culture

The popular culture has become a crucial aspect of the contemporary world. I have chosen this topic because I want to establish the cultural patterns exhibited by the multi-racial population in the United States and the world beyond. According to Fiske (93), the popular culture bears a significant impact on the world’s major social institutions. According to Lowenthal (22), the popular culture originated from the United States during the Harlem Renaissance. In this way, it is imperative to relate to the current American homogeny and its influence on the world’s cultural patterns. Moreover, an ethnographic research about the popular culture illuminates our understanding of the influence of the American homogeny on the world’s politics considering the superpower aspect of the United States. As Hammersley (17) points out, the multi-racial aspect of the America’s population is observed in everyday life especially in colleges and places of work. Therefore, I will access the community by observing the multi-racial population of my college.

The Origin of the Popular Culture

In essence, Ross notes that the popular culture developed during the aftermath of the Harlem Renaissance after the end of the civil war. During this period, the United States of America experienced an economic boom that was later followed by an instant recession, which, in turn, caused a widespread economic crisis. Despite the scary crisis, Americans still rejoiced in their victory in the civil war, in which African Americans contributed significantly.

The Evolution of the Popular Culture

Ross points out that previously, the popular culture was characterized by Jazz and graffiti, which were the main forms of musical entertainment and street art respectively. However, Mauch notes that the popular culture has evolved over time to include the contemporary integration of rap, jazz, and soul music and the modern forms of communication such as mobile phones. In this way, an ethnographic research helps to establish the origin of the popular culture as a means to understand the multi-diverse culture of the United States and the world beyond.

Data Collection Methods

Being a qualitative research, I plan to employ the observation technique derive primary data from an immediate experience. Moreover, as Hammersley (13) and Taylor et al posit on a qualitative research, I will conduct interviews for a random sample that constitutes individuals from different races. In addition, I will conduct focus group discussions to be able to observe the nonverbal communication behaviors from diverse racial backgrounds. I also find it necessary to create a virtual community such as creating a social media account to collect data from individuals outside the United States.

Conclusion

An ethnographic research is a beneficial type of research since it reveals the diversity of the human race. In this way, it helps individuals to recognize the diversity in the cultural patterns between communities in the world. Notably, popular culture, which originated in the United States during the Harlem Renaissance, bears significant influence on the world’s major social institutions such as politics, religion, globalization, and culture. Thus, it is important that we understand the diverse cultural patterns between world’s races.

Four sources from our readings

1. Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture.

2. Thomas, Eriksen. Small Places, Large Issues.

3. Huntington, Samuel P. The clash of civilizations?

4. Said, Edward W. Orientalism.

Works Cited

Fiske, John. Reading the popular. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. pp. 87-132

Hammersley, Martyn. Reading ethnographic research. New York, NY: Routledge, 2016. pp. 5-19

Lowenthal, Leo. "Historical perspectives of popular culture." Literature and Mass Culture. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. 17-32.

Mauch, Matthias, et al. "The Evolution of Popular Music: USA 1960–2010." Royal Society open science 2.5 (2015).

Ross, Andrew. No respect: Intellectuals and popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge, 2016.

Taylor, Steven et al. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. Hobken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2015.