Explores and explains how the mysteries of everyday life—from conversations and observations through web browsing and popular culture—can become the basis of rich ethnography and deep cultural analysis.

1—Hidden Worlds Finding the tools From idea to finished product The need for a cultural perspective Analytical strategies Structure of the book 2—The importance of small things The first step: getting going The second step: searching for literature The third step: collecting material The fourth step: the analysis The fifth step: writing 3—Making the familiar strange Making a first attempt Looking for entrances To avoid the predictable Choosing methodological entrances New questions and surprising answers Return to the past A life-history perspective The strange home The home as an art installation The importance of details and activities The advantages of limitation 4—Sharing a meal Table manners The hidden world of the dinner table Forming a family meal Power at the table Class and family history Doing mealtime ethnography Meals as models 5—Do you remember Facebook? Exploring media in everyday life Beginning at the end Analog and digital living Media taking place Virtual intimacy Are you there? Follow the Objects 6—Catching a mood Locating the setting Analytical approaches Touring the senses The station as a sensorium Changing moods Describing atmospheres Intimate moods Changing tracks Sensing the World 7—Crafting wood and words Ethnographic writing Making things with words Autoethnographic writing Describing non-verbal experience Do it by feel Writing DIY: three versions Manual Story Analysis Working knowledge The importance of failures Working and Writing 8—Demystifying fieldwork The classic style Making changes to the classic mold The jungle ideal Where is the field now? Organizing information Past, present, future 9—Taking cultural analysis out into the world The surprise effect Open fieldwork What’s this thing about culture? A double cultural analysis Learning to communicate Time discipline and teamwork Three ways of surprising a client So what? The critical edge References

Books that teach the art of analyzing a culture and are easy to read are rare. This book fills that gap by making it an everyday experience. For example, in the third chapter, ‘Making the Familiar Strange,’ the goal is to discover what is new and strange within homes of differing cultures. These small details help ethnographers understand what is going on in the lives of the people that they are studying. In another chapter, ‘Sharing a Meal,’ the authors point out how much can be learned by observing a mealtime with a family. The simple act of eating a meal together varies given the combination of cultural expectations and family histories; this is a real learning experience when viewed from an ethnographic perspective. The study of cultural ideals and mores is fraught with difficulties; the authors have broken this into basics that make ethnography doable and fun. Their examples help learners craft their studies step-by-step, as well as give advice on analysis that is both helpful and insightful. A well-researched and highly readable book for both social science and anthropological interests. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most academic levels/libraries.