A vignette is a short dramatic description, some of which typify by creating a composite of all the people or events studied. Others dramatize a person, act, event, or activity so as to catch the attention of the reader; still others summarize a biography, event, or other phenomenon.
— Analysis and Interpretation of Ethnographic Data: A Mixed Methods Approach, Second Edition, by Margaret D. LeCompte and Jean J. Schensul; p. 269
Ethnographic vignettes, as concentrated snapshots of the broader ethnographic narrative, are not merely descriptive but deeply analytical. By distilling complex social realities into focused moments, they demand careful interpretation, offering a valuable opportunity to hone analytical skills essential to ethnographic practice. At the same time, as stories nested within larger narratives, vignettes employ the full range of storytelling techniques—characterization, pacing, sensory detail—allowing writers to refine their craft and engage readers more effectively. Importantly, however, vignettes are more than just representational tools; they are epistemological instruments. As a distinct genre, they compel us to consider how knowledge is generated in the first place, revealing the choices ethnographers make in framing observations, selecting details, and constructing meaning. Thus, learning to write ethnographic vignettes is not simply about mastering a style of representation—it is about understanding the very process through which ethnographic knowledge is produced, negotiated, and communicated.
This set of 10 lessons is designed to help students and researchers engage deeply with ethnographic vignettes through close reading, writing, and interpretive discussion. Each lesson centers on a key theme that recurs across ethnographic practice. The structure of each lesson includes a short conceptual introduction, focus, learning goals, and suggested activities.
This project is currently under development. If you are directed here via scanning a QR code, below you can find the current short ethnographic lessons:
Short Lessons on Ethnographic Writing and Reading: A Vignette-Based Curriculum
- Short ethnographic lesson 1: Multisensoriality in Ethnographic Writing
- Short ethnographic lesson 2: Temporal Texture and Narrative Time
- Short ethnographic lesson 3: Tone, Voice, and Narrative Perspective
- Short ethnographic lesson 4: Affect and Ambiguity
- Short ethnographic lesson 5: Relationality and the Ethics of Care
- Short ethnographic lesson 6: Reframing Institutions through Small Acts
- Short ethnographic lesson 7: Language, Translation, and Interpretation
- Short ethnographic lesson 8: Aesthetic Labor and Aspiration
- Short ethnographic lesson 9: Place, Space, and Ethnographic Grounding
- Short ethnographic lesson 10: Rendering Presence: Writing People in Ethnography