An ethnography is a detailed empirical description of a culture living in a specific geographic location during a specific period of time.
Consult these readings for more in-depth discussions of ethnography:
Laurier, E., Miller, R., & Muñoz Zech, D.I. (2017). Ethnography. In Oxford bibliographies online. https://doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780199874002-0171
Robben, A.C.G.M., & Sluka, J.A. (2015). Ethnography. In J.D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (2nd ed., pp. 178-183). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.12065-3
Robinson-Caskie, E. E. (2006). Ethnography. In H. J. Birx (Ed.), Encyclopedia of anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 853-854). SAGE Reference.
Ybema, S., Yanow, D., Wels, H., & Kamsteeg, F. (2010). Ethnography. In A. J. Mills, G. Durepos, & E. Wiebe (Eds.), Encyclopedia of case study research (Vol. 1, pp. 347-351). SAGE Reference.
Warren, C. A. B. (2001). Ethnography. In Encyclopedia of sociology (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 852-856). Macmillan Reference USA.
Ethnographies are often found in book form, however, you will also find ethnographic articles in scholarly journals and magazines--see, for example, the journal Ethnography dedicated to "detailed and grounded empirical study of the myriad changes that are remaking the face of contemporary societies" around the world.
You may find ethnographies by using OneSearch (CUNY Libraries' online catalog) or one of our may databases such as America: History and Life, AnthroSource, Social Sciences Fulltext, Sociological Abstracts, SocINDEX and Academic Search Complete.
The word "ethnography" is not an official Library of Congress Subject Heading, therefore, search using keywords and/or phrases including the specific cultural/ethnic/religious/community/racial group, cultural practice or event you are researching. Some examples:
Native Americans or Iroquois
Hispanic Americans or Dominican Americans
Pakistani Americans
Muslim Americans
Hell's Angels
Deaf Culture
Japanese Tea Ceremony
Quinceañera
Ethnic Dress
If you find too many titles, try limiting your search to a specific geographic area (country, state, city, neighborhood), time period or add an additional key term such as social, religious, ethnic, culture, dress, immigration, etc.
Caribbean Americans and New York City
Caribbean Americans and Immigration
Caribbean Americans and Brooklyn
Dress and Ethnic Identity
Quinceañera and Hispanic Americans
Japanese Tea Ceremony and Identity