- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: University of Chicago Press (1 May 1988)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0226849627
- ISBN-13: 978-0226849621
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.9 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 294,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
In "Tales of the Field" John Van Maanen offers readers a survey of the narrative conventions associated with writing about culture and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of various styles.
"Engaging and well written."--H. Ottenheimer, "Choice"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A brilliant and witty short introduction to ethnography for all who want use its results, and we all should, even if only occasionally. The roots of ethnography are in anthropology and sociology and these sciences have rather different appproaches to it - a source of past disputes which are fairly minor but worth understanding. The relationships of ethnography to literature, biography and history are also important and interesting.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Writing Culture/Writing Ethnography
9 Sep 2001
Format:Paperback
I utilized Van Maanen's short, but essential text on writing ethnography throughout my dissertation ethnography research (now a book: Native Americans in the Carolina Borderlands: A Critical Ethnography, Carolinas Press, 2000). Unlike most "how to" texts on Ethnography, Tales of the Field focuses on writing as methodology. Van Maanen's writing is clear and concise. The reader is given several writing styles in ethnography, with ample examples from the author's, and other's, ethnographic writings. A great little book for fieldworkers, novice and veteran, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in research methods courses.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Perfect Companion To Goodall's The New Ethnography
11 Nov 2003
Format:Paperback
Van Maanen's Tales is an excellent and succinct primer on the various ways we write ethnographic research. Giving a rich history of the 'armchair ethnographer' of the early 20th century, he procedds to show how our conceptualizations of this great practice has evolved.
This is a great book to determine not necessarily what kind of ethnography you want to write, but is a great exploration on how ethnography can write you. Are you a modern classisist ethnographer? Are you a interpretive ethnographer? Are you a critical ethnographer? Reading this book opened my eyes to the different techniques and questions we ethnographers can ask. Better yet, by delving into the various questions and ideas posed, I found where my ethnographic 'being' is.
I rate this with the highest rating possible.
4 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Somewhat Dubious
5 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
How can someone trust an author who admits to cheating. Van Maanen writes, "In the academy, I helped cover for tardy classmates by concocting what I thought to be reasonable tales to tell superior officers. Several times I cheated on exams by passing my answer sheet around the back of the room (as I looked at others' answers sheets). These mostly mundane matters would hardly be worth mentioning were it not for the fact that they point to the difficulty, if not impossibility, of maintaining a clear cut and recognizable observational or participatory research role."
Having openly admitted to cheating in this instance, how could anything he writes be accepted as authentic? To me this is not a mundane matter, it goes to the heart of ethics. Van Maanen can write and tell a story, but how do we know his cheating isn't part of the plot.
Having openly admitted to cheating in this instance, how could anything he writes be accepted as authentic? To me this is not a mundane matter, it goes to the heart of ethics. Van Maanen can write and tell a story, but how do we know his cheating isn't part of the plot.
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