Ethnography is a methodological approach that involves a toolkit of data collection techniques designed to gather in-depth insights into the complexities of human experiences, behaviors, and social phenomena. Emerging mainly from sociology and cultural anthropology, ethnography tends to systematically focus on the observed, lived experiences of people in their daily lives. It is typically immersive, holistic, long-term, firsthand, investigative, and collaborative.

Convened at the University of Pennsylvania since 1980, the Ethnography Forum is internationally recognized for its encouragement of original and in-depth ethnographic research on education broadly defined, within and outside the context of schooling. The Forum provides a space for ethnographers in a range of disciplines and fields to come together across generations to share and learn from each other and, in so doing, to become part of a broader intellectual community.

advancing innovative, systematic, rigorous, and engaged ethnographic inquiry; promoting and recognizing such inquiry; and extending the field through opening access to such inquiry.