Pedagogy of the Oppressed - sent to you by Ivo, a great scholar too - is The book to read Before We Die. It strikes me that your question, highly relevant, is too rule bound. Ethnography, Statistical research and other methods can all be applied to emancipatory research.

Have a look at a chapter I wrote on poor Romanian beggars in Norway: on RG. My research background is in statistics, but I used ethnography in this particular study. The aim was, in the spirit of ethnography, to bring the voices of the beggars to the policymakers. These are the voices of human suffering that elusively hide behind the neat and tidy statistics in the bureaucrat´s comfortable office.

For all that, it would have helped me, and more importantly, the beggars, if I could find more statistics in order to support an emancipatory goal. How many Romanianns beggars find work? Do any of them die, and if so, from hypothermia during the Norwegian winter when they do not have a roof over their heads? There are many other questions, including: how many of them are officially poor based the EU poverty level scale (much better than the OECD scale, by the way)? 

Such data might jolt the social services and health care system into more action on behalf of this despraretly poor minority group. But, No, they are invisible, except when they are considered a nuisance and told by racists to move on or get a bus back to Romania.

Finally - and this is my main point- research methods, from whatever stable they might come from, can and are used for emancipatory purposes. In that context, for example, reliable statistical data on how best to tackle bullying in schools - a major field in my current and past research - can help schools to choose interventions that show a  real potential to emancipate the victims of bullying. Best wishes, Paul

Dear Ivo, I'm working on a topic "Analyzing subalternity of Rural Women of Sindh, Pakistan through Selected Fictional and Real Stories". The selected stories represent rural women of Sindh suffering from the socio-cultural evils viz., sexual assault, Karo-Kari and Honour-Killing.. This study originates from my anger and fury on the suppression of the target characters. Herein this study, my purpose is to analyse the subalternity and criticize the power-politics of the elite group (like waderas). By this study.. I want to give voice to these voiceless.. To put forward this study, I'm employing the insights of Subaltern Studies' Critics (Guha and Spivak). Subaltern Studies' critical approach seems to me based on critical paradigm. Further, my selected characters have a common culture or world views, due to which my study seems ethnographic in nature.

I'm myself confused in the target study. Something is missed but what?  

Dear Ms. Zaib 

My opinion is that if I had to work on this topic, I would also bring in Feminist perspectives / theories.  That is, I'd use ethnography to reveal the women's lived experiences, and would provide a critique related to how their sufferings are the product of patriarchy.   

Hope my opinion is of any use.

Best regards, 

Cameen

Yes Cameen Katanum... my project is also related to Feminist approach. I'm employing herein the insights of Spivak with especial reference to her philosophical essay "Can the Subaltern Speak". Spivak's most debating argument that subaltern (as a women) cannot be heard is the part of the debate of my study...  

Thanks dear Paul, your recommended chapter is useful. I'm also thankful to Ivo for the nice book.

You are welcome Sabah. 

Have you read Kamala Visweswarren's fictions of feminist ethnography? This is an excellent book in the area you describe

Hello dear Shona and Mr. Kurz, your suggested book is really great. I have started its reading.  Terimah kasih. 

Kind Regards, Sabah

Make the ethnography more than a technic has many problems. But, also has make new challenges, in the local level. "The" ethnography beyond the social relatiion with the people, is just an academic issue.

Here is a resume of four decades of a colombian antrhopologist work

http://www.luguiva.net/articulos/default.aspx

Hi Sabah,

I think you could have a useful look on the following articles and books :

- EDELMAN, M. (1985), The Symbolic Uses of Politics,

Chicago (Ill.), University of Illinois Press.

- EDIN, K., STEIN, L. (1997), Making Ends Meet: How

Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work,

New York (N. Y.), Russell Sage Foundation.

- GANS, H. J. (2010), « Public Ethnography: Ethnography

as Public Sociology », Qualitative Sociology, 33,

p. 97-104.

- SCHENSUL, J. J. et al. (1999), Using Ethnographic

Data: Interventions, Public Programming, and Public

Policy, Ethnographer’s Toolkit, Vol. 7, Wallnut Creek,

Londres, New Delhi, AltaMira Press & Sage.

- SHORE, C., WRIGHT, S., PERÒ, D. (eds) (2011), Policy

Worlds. Anthropology and Analysis of Contemporary

Power, Berghahn Books, Oxford.

Also, the work o Pierre Bourdieu (specialy "La Misère du Monde", LA Miseria Del Mundo/the Misery of the World) is one of the best proove that a ethnographic work can be combinated with a critical approach.

Hope it can be useful,

Christophe