1st Edition

Rapid Ethnographic Assessments A Practical Approach and Toolkit For Collaborative Community Research

    198 Pages
    by Routledge

    198 Pages
    by Routledge

    Please see the website of author Thurka Sangaramoorthy for extra resources and material related to this book, at thurkasangaramoorthy.com. Click on the book’s cover and be sure to check back for updated content

    This book provides provides a practical guide to understanding and conducting rapid ethnographic assessments (REAs) with an emphasis on their use in public health contexts. This team-based, multi-method, relatively low-cost approach results in rich understandings of social, economic, and policy factors that contribute to the root causes of an emerging situation and provides rapid, practical feedback to policy makers and programs.

    Using real-world examples and case studies of completed REAs, Sangaramoorthy and Kroeger provide readers with a logical, easy-to-follow introduction into key concepts, principles, and methods of REAs, including interview and observation techniques, triangulation, field notes and debriefing, theoretical saturation, and qualitative analysis. They also provide a practical guide for planning and implementing REAs and suggestions for transforming findings into written reports and actionable recommendations. Materials and detailed tools regarding the conduct of REAs are designed to help readers apply this method to their own research regardless of topic or discipline. REA is an applied approach that can facilitate collaborative work with communities and become a catalyst for action.

    Rapid Ethnographic Assessment will appeal to professionals and researchers interested in using REAs for research efficiency and productivity as well as action-oriented and translational research in a variety of fields and contexts.

    List of boxes

    List of figures

    List of tables

    Preface

    Acknowledgements

    Chapter 1: Overview of rapid ethnographic assessment

    Chapter 2: Key considerations in planning for a rapid ethnographic assessment

    Chapter 3: Rapid ethnographic assessment design and methods

    Chapter 4: Fieldwork

    Chapter 5: Data analysis

    Chapter 6: Report writing and follow up

    Chapter 7: Case studies

    Appendix 1: Glossary of terms

    Appendix 2: Sample REA concept proposal

    Appendix 3: Sample project planning tool

    Appendix 4: Sample REA budget template

    Appendix 5: Sample REA team position descriptions

    Appendix 6: Sample statement of work

    Appendix 7: Interview guide template

    Appendix 8: Interview note taking guide

    Appendix 9: Sample REA training agenda

    Appendix 10: Sample training budget template

    Appendix 11: Sample REA report template

    Appendix 12: Rapid ethnographic assessment resources

    The authors

    Index

     

    Biography

    Thurka Sangaramoorthy is a cultural and medical anthropologist and public health researcher with 22 years of expertise in conducting applied ethnographic research, including rapid assessments, among vulnerable populations in the United States, Africa, and Latin America/Caribbean. Her expertise includes global health and migration, HIV/STD, health systems, and environmental risk.

    Karen A. Kroeger is a cultural and medical anthropologist who has conducted ethnographic research, assessment, and evaluation among populations vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV in the United States and abroad since 1994. She is a former Research Anthropologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).