The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Scholarly Commons ...

Ethnography
Definition
representation and mediation, and from which they create meaning in the
process of reading. (Sandvoss, 2007, p. 22)
According to Brewer (2000) there are two definitions of ethnography; “one uses
„ethnography‟ as a synonym for qualitative research as a whole . . . Others define
ethnography to mean the same as „field research‟ or „fieldwork‟” (pp. 17-18). In this
instance, ethnography refers to field research and particularly my participation in it. I
have chosen the method of ethnography because it allows me as a researcher to witness
and experience the cultivating process as a fan. Brewer (2000), however, does not
necessarily label ethnography as a method; rather he interprets ethnography as “a style
of research that is distinguished by its objectives, which are to understand the social
meanings and activities of people in a given „field‟ or setting” (p. 11). This places high
priority on the importance of the ethnographic approach, “which involves close
association with, and often participation in, [the field]” (Brewer, 2000, p. 11).
Ethnographic beginning: Abercrombie and Longhurst continuum and draft model
Before I could begin my ethnographic journey as a fan, I referred back to a model I
originally drafted in the early stages of my proposal (see Figure 2). The model‟s
continuum was rather limited and had only four possible cultivated states; firstly,
according to this model one begins as a general viewer and is then cultivated during
ongoing interaction with the product towards becoming a fan. From this position,
depending upon sources and information, the fan becomes either an educated fan or an
enamoured one. Educated fans are enthusiastic about their fan object but retain a critical
eye and require in-depth analysis. Enamoured fans, on the other hand, are seeking
emotional fulfilment and are therefore not particularly discerning towards their fan
object. This model therefore suggested that fandom was a system of degrees based on
sources and the knowledge they transmitted. At this early stage, I had not become
acquainted with Abercrombie and Longhurst‟s continuum (1998), and am purely
fortunate if it resembles their theory in anyway. Therefore, my draft model ultimately
represented the scholarly perspective I began with and the ethnographic direction I
originally predicted I would head in.
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