Ethnography and Virtual Worlds: A Handbook of Method

This handbook reinvigorated my passion for ethnographic research, regrounding my research with the methodology that always accompanies rigor and relevance.

Ethnography and Virtual Worlds addresses an important gap in anthropological research methods, but does so weakly. While this book is sold as a handbook of method in the ethnography of online experience, most of the book merely repeats traditional advice to beginning ethnographers. Very little discussion is devoted to the special challenges and opportunities of virtual worlds, and the way that new media challenge old ethnographic presumptions about the relationships between researchers, subjects of research, and the audience to whom findings are presented. The authors seem firmly rooted in the conventions of traditional academic culture. It's ironic that, as ethnographers, they would have difficulty seeing beyond those limitations. There is little here in the way of useful advice for people seeking innovative ways to create ethnographic approaches that embrace the liminal flexibility inherent to virtual worlds. Also missing is a consideration of the development of ritual dynamics in online environments. Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is written well, as far as it goes. It simply doesn't go very far.

I agree with the reviewer that stated that this is a very strong text in its approach to traditional ethnographic research but very weak (although it is an admirable attempt) in its attempt to address virtual ethnography.

Not really a fan of qualitative inquiry. However, the book provides a good overview of the theories and perspectives. However, wish they had more real world examples.

Boellstorff is one of my favorite ethnographers. Although this book is geared towards virtual ethnography, it is also quite helpful for all forms of ethnography. I love it.

Very informative.

You get a detailed description of how to engage in this line of research, and all the basics are covered. You're left with a knowledge of how to go about it, not just a philosophical idea of what it is and which problems the approach entails. It's written in a very accessible way with good examples. On top of that, they make this kind of research interesting.

Comprehensive, well written, and ideal for those with little prior experience of digital anthropology. Compared to other textbooks of it's type it's an absolute bargain!

Needed this book for a course. Arrived just in time in perfect condition. Good book.