Confronta i metodi

	Etnografia Critica	Ricerca-Azione
Campo	Qualitativo	Ricerca qualitativa
Famiglia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Anno di origine	Late 20th century (~1980s–1993 systematisation)	1946
Ideatore	Jim Thomas (systematised); rooted in Frankfurt School critical theory (Adorno, Horkheimer) and feminist/postcolonial traditions	Kurt Lewin; expanded by Kemmis, McTaggart, Reason & Bradbury
Tipo	Qualitative research method	Method
Fonte seminale	Thomas, J. (1993). Doing Critical Ethnography. Sage Publications.	Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34–46.
Alias	critical ethnographic research, critical qualitative ethnography, advocacy ethnography, emancipatory ethnography	Participatory Action Research, PAR, Collaborative Inquiry
Correlati	6	1
Sintesi	Critical ethnography is a qualitative research approach that combines sustained fieldwork immersion with explicit critical theory to examine how power, inequality, and ideology shape the lived experiences of marginalised communities. Unlike conventional ethnography, which aims to describe a culture as it is, critical ethnography commits the researcher to questioning what is taken for granted and to producing knowledge that can serve as a resource for social change. Rooted in Frankfurt School critical theory and expanded through feminist, postcolonial, and race-critical traditions, it treats the research process itself as a political act.	Action research is a collaborative research methodology in which researchers work with practitioners and community members to investigate a problem, implement change, and evaluate outcomes, cycling through reflection, action, and learning. Developed by Kurt Lewin (1946), action research bridges research and practice, aiming simultaneously to produce knowledge and practical improvement.