Ethnography is one of the oldest forms of qualitative social research. It is a research methodology suited to the exploration of cultures, and is usually the chosen method for anthropo-logical investigation. This paper will provide a brief background to ethnography, and will discuss the method in the light of current healthcare research, focusing on HIV. The discussion will emphasise the value of ethnographic findings in the field of healthcare, as a tool that provides the means for gathering

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... sights into the cultural perception of health and illness, and an explanation of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of health care workers.