This book is a practical guide to research conducted using the participant observation technique. Volumes on this topic usually emphasise prescriptive and theoretical elements that hinder beginners' attempts at operational application. This book, on the other hand, offers an accessible text with a simple narrative style that is especially designed to answer the question "how does one perform field research?", discussing the problems that naturally arise from the typical timelines followed by this type of research.

Contents: Introduction. - 1. Before. - 1.1. How to Choose a Research "Object". - 1.2. What You Need to Know Before Initiating Research. - 2. During. - 2.1. Making Contact. - 2.2. Observing Means Participating. - 2.3. What to Do "in the Field". - 2.4. How to Write Ethnographic Notes. - 2.5. When and How to Stop. - 3. After. - 3.1. Organising Data. - 3.2. Analysing Data. - 3.3. Writing Means Doing Research. - Conclusions. - Bibliographical References.

Giovanni Semi is a researcher in cultural and communications sociology at the University of Turin