Multi-sited Ethnography as a Middle Range Methodology for Contemporary STS Export

@article{citeulike:1834750, abstract = {The paper draws its inspiration from the provocation which Merton offered sociology both to engage with empirical data and to perform analyses adequate to guide intervention beyond the particular case. Whilst contemporary STS is very different both in its models of theory and its forms of methodology, this paper suggests Merton's concerns with engagement and adequacy provide a useful way to interrogate current approaches. Specifically, the paper explores some recent anthropological conceptions of ethnographic fieldwork that have provided potent models for the study of scientific and technological cultures. These multi-sited approaches have also provided the opportunity to develop new notions of intervention and explore alternative ways of making contributions to development of theory and practice. In the process of pursuing the goals of engagement and adequacy notions of ethnography have however become stretched. This sense of detachment from methodological canons accentuates the need for methodological debate and skill-sharing in STS. 10.1177/0162243907303598}, author = {Hine, Christine}, citeulike-article-id = {1834750}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0162243907303598}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://sth.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/6/652}, doi = {10.1177/0162243907303598}, journal = {Science Technology Human Values}, keywords = {ant, ethnography, fieldwork, internet, methods, networks, sts}, month = {November}, number = {6}, pages = {652--671}, posted-at = {2009-06-26 22:27:31}, priority = {0}, title = {Multi-sited Ethnography as a Middle Range Methodology for Contemporary STS}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0162243907303598}, volume = {32}, year = {2007} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1834750 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1834750 N2 - The paper draws its inspiration from the provocation which Merton offered sociology both to engage with empirical data and to perform analyses adequate to guide intervention beyond the particular case. Whilst contemporary STS is very different both in its models of theory and its forms of methodology, this paper suggests Merton's concerns with engagement and adequacy provide a useful way to interrogate current approaches. Specifically, the paper explores some recent anthropological conceptions of ethnographic fieldwork that have provided potent models for the study of scientific and technological cultures. These multi-sited approaches have also provided the opportunity to develop new notions of intervention and explore alternative ways of making contributions to development of theory and practice. In the process of pursuing the goals of engagement and adequacy notions of ethnography have however become stretched. This sense of detachment from methodological canons accentuates the need for methodological debate and skill-sharing in STS. 10.1177/0162243907303598 IS - 6 JF - Science Technology Human Values EP - 671 TI - Multi-sited Ethnography as a Middle Range Methodology for Contemporary STS VL - 32 SP - 652 KW - ant KW - ethnography KW - fieldwork KW - internet KW - methods KW - networks KW - sts AU - Hine, Christine PY - 2007/11/01/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0162243907303598 ER -