Related Terms
Description
Ethnology is the study of humans as cultural beings. It explores how cultural patterns are constructed, preserved, and changed in various times, places, and social contexts. Peoples’ cultural behaviors and expressions are examined through both contemporary analysis and historical reconstruction. Qualitative methods dominate and the empirical material is derived from various sources, such as archives, interviews, observations, questionnaires, artifacts, print and nonprint media, or the Internet.
The term “ethnology” derives from the Greek ἔθνος (ethnos) meaning people. As defined in various ways, the subject has developed along separate paths of inquiry and pedagogical principles (i.e., social and cultural anthropology and folkloristics). Ethnology (or folklife research) has been considered an academic field since the late eighteenth century, with...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barna, G. (2004). Ethnology of religion in Europe. Foreword. In G. Barna (Ed.), Ethnology of religion. Chapters from the European history of a discipline. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1967). The social construction of reality. A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York: Anchor Books.
Craith, M. N., Kockel, U., & Johler, R. (Eds.). (2008). Everyday culture in Europe. Approaches and methodologies. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Csordas, T. J. (2002). Body/meaning/healing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography. Principles in practice (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Hannerz, U. (1992). Cultural complexity. Studies in the social organization of meaning. New York: Columbia University Press.
Haraway, D. (1997). Modest_Witness@Second_Millennium.FemaleMan©_Meets_OncoMouse. Feminism and technoscience. New York: Routledge.
Löfgren, O. (2008). When is small beautiful? The transformations of Swedish ethnology. In M. N. Craith, U. Kockel, & R. Johler (Eds.), Everyday culture in Europe. Approaches and methodologies (pp. 119–132). Aldershot: Ashgate.
Marcus, G. E., & Fischer, M. M. J. (1986). Anthropology as cultural critique. An experimental moment in the human sciences. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press.
Reid, R., & Traweek, S. (Eds.). (2000). Doing science + culture. New York: Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Karlsson Minganti, P. (2013). Ethnology. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1522
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1522
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8264-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8265-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law