<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The word' ethnography' is derived from the Greek ἔθνος (ethnos), meaning "a company, later a people, nation" and - graphy meaning "field of study". Ethnographic studies focus on large cultural groups of people who interact over time . Ethnography is a set of qualitative methods that are used in social sciences that focus on the observation of social practices and interactions . Its aim is to observe a situation without imposing any deductive structure or framework upon it and to view everything as strange or unique . </P> <P> The field of anthropology originated from Europe and England designed in late 19th century . It spread its roots to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century . Some of the main contributors like EB Tylor (1832 - 1917) from Britain and Lewis H Morgan (1818 - 1881), an American scientist were considered as founders of cultural and social dimensions . Franz Boas (1858 - 1942), Bronislaw Malinowski (1858--1942), Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978), were a group of researchers from the United States who contributed the idea of cultural relativism to the literature . Boas's approach focused on the use of documents and informants, whereas, Malinowski stated that a researcher should be engrossed with the work for long periods in the field and do a participant observation by living with the informant and experiencing their way of life . He gives the viewpoint of the native and this became the origin of field work and field methods . </P> <P> Since Malinowski was very firm with his approach he applied it practically and traveled to Trobriand Island which was located off the eastern coast of New Guinea . He was interested in learning the language of the islanders and stayed there for a long time doing his field work . The field of ethnography became very popular in the late 19th century, as many social scientists gained an interest in studying modern society . Again, in the latter part of the 19th century, the field of anthropology became a good support for scientific formation . Though the field was flourishing it had a lot of threat to encounter . Postcolonialism, the research climate shifted towards post-modernism and feminism . Therefore, the field of anthropology moved into a discipline of social science . </P>

A cross-cultural comparison of two or more different cultures rooted in ethnography is called