Karen O'Reilly

Ethnographic Methods has been a popular book with students and researchers. This new edition retains much of the quality of earlier ones with more detailed examples of methods in practice, and better coverage of digital, virtual and visual approaches. Ethnography is presented here as a reflexive, responsible, and relevant methodology. Ethnographic Methods is a comprehensive and practical guide to employing traditional and innovative methods in the intimate study of social worlds. In this substantially revised edition, Karen O’Reilly peppers her account with real-life, published examples to illustrate the reflexive, responsible, and relevant character of contemporary ethnographic practice. The book includes in-depth and comprehensive coverage of a broad range of current debates, including digital, mobile, and participatory approaches. The book includes: extensive discussion of the impact of new advances, especially dealing with multiple and unspecific contexts; discussions and coverage of methodological pluralism and applied ethnography; debate about the continued distinctiveness and value of ethnography; and a full discussion of ‘how to do’ reflexivity and embraces sensory and digital ethnographic methods. With an important introduction that illustrates the theoretical framework on which ethnography is founded, the book retains a fine balance between practical guidance (on how to do ethnography), theory and epistemological principles.

Ethnographic Methods has been a popular book with students and researchers. This new edition retains much of the quality of earlier ones with more detailed examples of methods in practice, and better coverage of digital, virtual and visual approaches. Ethnography is presented here as a reflexive, responsible, and relevant methodology. Ethnographic Methods is a comprehensive and practical guide to employing traditional and innovative methods in the intimate study of social worlds. In this substantially revised edition, Karen O’Reilly peppers her account with real-life, published examples to illustrate the reflexive, responsible, and relevant character of contemporary ethnographic practice. The book includes in-depth and comprehensive coverage of a broad range of current debates, including digital, mobile, and participatory approaches. The book includes: extensive discussion of the impact of new advances, especially dealing with multiple and unspecific contexts; discussions and coverage of methodological pluralism and applied ethnography; debate about the continued distinctiveness and value of ethnography; and a full discussion of ‘how to do’ reflexivity and embraces sensory and digital ethnographic methods. With an important introduction that illustrates the theoretical framework on which ethnography is founded, the book retains a fine balance between practical guidance (on how to do ethnography), theory and epistemological principles.

Whether you’re a student, academic, or practitioner working in an applied setting, this text will lead you through the complex terrain of contemporary qualitative research methods. Written by renowned sociologist Karen O’Reilly, the book distils decades of experience into a valuable toolkit of lessons and insights. Key highlights include: • tackling challenging issues like how many interviews are enough and what does reflexivity look like in practice; • a keen focus on what the time-constrained researcher needs to know, delivering essential knowledge efficiently and imaginatively; • pedagogical features like dos and don’ts, neat summaries, and creative solutions. Bridging theory and practice, and packed with a wealth of advice, useful tips and resources for further reading, this is the definitive guide to contemporary qualitative research for beginners and seasoned researchers.

Whether you’re a student, academic, or practitioner working in an applied setting, this text will lead you through the complex terrain of contemporary qualitative research methods. Written by renowned sociologist Karen O’Reilly, the book distils decades of experience into a valuable toolkit of lessons and insights. Key highlights include: • tackling challenging issues like how many interviews are enough and what does reflexivity look like in practice; • a keen focus on what the time-constrained researcher needs to know, delivering essential knowledge efficiently and imaginatively; • pedagogical features like dos and don’ts, neat summaries, and creative solutions. Bridging theory and practice, and packed with a wealth of advice, useful tips and resources for further reading, this is the definitive guide to contemporary qualitative research for beginners and seasoned researchers.

Leading scholars in the sociology of migration, Michaela Benson and Karen O’Reilly, re-theorise lifestyle migration through a sustained focus on postcolonialism at its intersections with neoliberalism. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the interplay of colonial traces and neoliberal presents, the relationship between residential tourism and economic development, and the governance and regulation of lifestyle migration. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork undertaken by the authors among lifestyle migrants in Malaysia and Panama, they reveal the structural and material conditions that support migration and how these are embodied by migrant subjects, while also highlighting their agency within this process. This rigorous work marks an important contribution to emerging debates surrounding privileged migration and mobility. It will appeal to sociologists, social theorists, human and cultural geographers, economists, social psychologists, demographers, social anthropologists,tourism and migration studies specialists.

Semifinalist for the Kore Press Memoir AwardWhen Karen O'Reilly's 28-year-old friend and roommate dies by suicide on a bright New Year's Day, Karen, also suffering from severe depression, decides that she needs to do something drastic to avoid following a similar path. Six months later she leaves her comfortable western existence behind to work with refugees in Uganda. In this candid and irreverent memoir, Karen tells the story of working with people seeking refuge -- from war, and torture, and genocide -- as a young woman seeking refuge from herself. She describes the unexpected connections she makes with the refugees with whom she works: the Somali woman who, pitying her, prays for her to find a husband; the suspected Rwandan g nocidaire who argues with her about soccer and makes her undrinkable coffee; the transgender Burundian woman who commissions a matching rooster-print blouse and skirt for her, as a thank you gift. Outside of work, she tries to forget the corruption and sexual abuse she is shocked to encounter in the humanitarian world. She drinks gin, dances at illicit gay bars, sees local psychiatrists with unorthodox ideas, and tries to make sense of the refugees' stories and her own.

Leading scholars in the sociology of migration, Michaela Benson and Karen O’Reilly, re-theorise lifestyle migration through a sustained focus on postcolonialism at its intersections with neoliberalism. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the interplay of colonial traces and neoliberal presents, the relationship between residential tourism and economic development, and the governance and regulation of lifestyle migration. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork undertaken by the authors among lifestyle migrants in Malaysia and Panama, they reveal the structural and material conditions that support migration and how these are embodied by migrant subjects, while also highlighting their agency within this process. This rigorous work marks an important contribution to emerging debates surrounding privileged migration and mobility. It will appeal to sociologists, social theorists, human and cultural geographers, economists, social psychologists, demographers, social anthropologists,tourism and migration studies specialists.

Affecting millions across the globe every day, international migration encompasses a wide range of concerns. It is not only a central dynamic in processes of globalization and government policy-making, but also a deeply personal topic that cuts to the heart of notions of identity, home and belonging. International Migration and Social Theory provides a clear map of this field, and shows how social theory can illuminate our understanding of the way we move around the globe. Explaining and critiquing a wide range of theories, approaches and concepts, the text provides a new theoretical framework for future study and applies it to extended empirical case studies. The book explores core migration topics, from labour and lifestyle migration to refugees and the role of women, to shed light on the implications of migration at global, national and personal levels. This compelling text traces key trends in this diverse field to provide a clear overview of international migration today. It presents invaluable insights for students and researchers in Sociology, Politics and Migration Studies.

Affecting millions across the globe every day, international migration encompasses a wide range of concerns. It is not only a central dynamic in processes of globalization and government policy-making, but also a deeply personal topic that cuts to the heart of notions of identity, home and belonging. International Migration and Social Theory provides a clear map of this field, and shows how social theory can illuminate our understanding of the way we move around the globe. Explaining and critiquing a wide range of theories, approaches and concepts, the text provides a new theoretical framework for future study and applies it to extended empirical case studies. The book explores core migration topics, from labour and lifestyle migration to refugees and the role of women, to shed light on the implications of migration at global, national and personal levels. This compelling text traces key trends in this diverse field to provide a clear overview of international migration today. It presents invaluable insights for students and researchers in Sociology, Politics and Migration Studies.

This new edition of Karen O’Reilly’s popular Ethnographic Methods provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the technical, practical and philosophical issues that arise when employing traditional and innovative research methods in relation to human agents. Using a wide range of case studies and source material to illustrate the dilemmas and resolutions that an ethnographic researcher may encounter, this textbook guides the reader from the initial design and planning stages through to the analysis and writing-up. It explores the historical and philosophical foundations of ethnographic research and goes on to cover a range of relevant topics such as participant observation, qualitative interviews, (focus) group interviews and visual data collection and analysis. Having been substantially revised and updated, the second edition includes new discussions of emerging practices such as reflexive ethnography and autoethnographic accounts, as well as an entire chapter dedicated to new directions in the field – including virtual, mobile, multi-sited and global ethnography.

This new edition of Karen O’Reilly’s popular Ethnographic Methods provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the technical, practical and philosophical issues that arise when employing traditional and innovative research methods in relation to human agents. Using a wide range of case studies and source material to illustrate the dilemmas and resolutions that an ethnographic researcher may encounter, this textbook guides the reader from the initial design and planning stages through to the analysis and writing-up. It explores the historical and philosophical foundations of ethnographic research and goes on to cover a range of relevant topics such as participant observation, qualitative interviews, (focus) group interviews and visual data collection and analysis. Having been substantially revised and updated, the second edition includes new discussions of emerging practices such as reflexive ethnography and autoethnographic accounts, as well as an entire chapter dedicated to new directions in the field – including virtual, mobile, multi-sited and global ethnography.

"An accessible and entertaining read, useful to anybody interested in the ethnographic method." - Paul Miller, University of Cumbria "A very good introduction to ethnographic research, particularly useful for first time researchers." - Heather Macdonald, Chester University "The perfect introductory guide for students embarking on qualitative research for the first time... This should be of aid to the ethnographic novice in their navigating what is a theoretically complex and changing methodological field." - Patrick Turner, London Metropolitan University An accessible, authoritative, non-nonsense guide to the key concepts in one of the most widely used methodologies in social science: Ethnography, this book: Explores and summarises the basic and related issues in ethnography that are covered nowhere else in a single text. Examines key topics like sampling, generalising, participant observation and rapport, as well as embracing new fields such as virtual, visual and multi-sighted ethnography and issues such as reflexivity, writing and ethics. Presents each concept comprehensively yet critically, alongside relevant examples. This is not quite an encyclopaedia but far more than a dictionary. It is comprehensive yet brief. It is small and neat, easy to hold and flick through. It is what students and researchers have been waiting for.

"An accessible and entertaining read, useful to anybody interested in the ethnographic method." - Paul Miller, University of Cumbria "A very good introduction to ethnographic research, particularly useful for first time researchers." - Heather Macdonald, Chester University "The perfect introductory guide for students embarking on qualitative research for the first time... This should be of aid to the ethnographic novice in their navigating what is a theoretically complex and changing methodological field." - Patrick Turner, London Metropolitan University An accessible, authoritative, non-nonsense guide to the key concepts in one of the most widely used methodologies in social science: Ethnography, this book: Explores and summarises the basic and related issues in ethnography that are covered nowhere else in a single text. Examines key topics like sampling, generalising, participant observation and rapport, as well as embracing new fields such as virtual, visual and multi-sighted ethnography and issues such as reflexivity, writing and ethics. Presents each concept comprehensively yet critically, alongside relevant examples. This is not quite an encyclopaedia but far more than a dictionary. It is comprehensive yet brief. It is small and neat, easy to hold and flick through. It is what students and researchers have been waiting for.

'Brits in Spain' first achieved notoriety during the 1980s - popularly imagined as a group made up of exiled criminals, drunken hooligans and leathery looking pensioners - welcome to 'Little England'! The British on the Costa Del Sol is the very first book to study this British expatriate community in any great depth and, through use of interviews with members of this community, paints a far more complex picture of its members. In doing so the author explodes the popularly held stereotype of 'Brits in Spain'. What emerges is a rich account of who migrates, their reasons for migration and the day to day realities of expatriate life.

'Brits in Spain' first achieved notoriety during the 1980s - popularly imagined as a group made up of exiled criminals, drunken hooligans and leathery looking pensioners - welcome to 'Little England'! The British on the Costa Del Sol is the very first book to study this British expatriate community in any great depth and, through use of interviews with members of this community, paints a far more complex picture of its members. In doing so the author explodes the popularly held stereotype of 'Brits in Spain'. What emerges is a rich account of who migrates, their reasons for migration and the day to day realities of expatriate life.