Tales of the Field

On Writing Ethnography, Second Edition

John Van Maanen

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English

Chicago University Press
01 July 2011

Writing & editing guides; History; Ethnic studies; Anthropology

Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing

For more than twenty years, John Van Maanen’s Tales of the Field has been a definitive reference and guide for students, scholars, and practitioners of ethnography and beyond. Originally published in 1988, it was the one of the first works to detail and critically analyze the various styles and narrative conventions associated with written representations of culture. This is a book about the deskwork of fieldwork and the various ways culture is put forth in print. The core of the work is an extended discussion and illustration of three forms or genres of cultural representation—realist tales, confessional tales, and impressionist tales. The novel issues raised in Tales concern authorial voice, style, truth, objectivity, and point-of-view. Over the years, the work has both reflected and shaped changes in the field of ethnography.

In this second edition, Van Maanen’s substantial new Epilogue charts and illuminates changes in the field since the book’s first publication. Refreshingly humorous and accessible, Tales of the Field remains an invaluable introduction to novices learning the trade of fieldwork and a cornerstone of reference for veteran ethnographers.

By: John Van Maanen
Imprint: Chicago University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Second Edition
Dimensions: Height: 22mm, Width: 14mm, Spine: 1mm
Weight: 312g
ISBN: 9780226849645
ISBN 10: 0226849643
Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 01 July 2011
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Van Maanen is the Erwin H. Schell Professor of Organization Studies in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Reviews for Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography, Second Edition

John Van Maanen here gives us a spirited, self-reflexive guide to the rhetorical styles used in 'the cultural representation trade,' a quirky performance-art Strunk and White for ethnographers and their readers. (American Journal of Sociology) Van Maanen has written a powerful statement, in the guise of a mere introduction, that compels us to rethink what we are doing and how well we are doing it.... This book is a terrific piece of work! (Karl E. Weick, Administrative Science Quarterly)