Final answer:
Ethnography is the observation of cultural values within a community, aiming to understand how people view themselves in relation to their culture. Ethnology is a comparative study of different cultural groups to understand their relationships and shared elements. Both play a significant role in anthropology, with ethnography often being more immersive and ethnology more comparative in nature.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethnography is a research strategy employed in the field of anthropology, involving the extended observation of the social perspectives and cultural values within a social environment. Typically, this involves an ethnographer embedding themselves into a community, such as a small U.S. fishing town, an Inuit community, or a Buddhist monastery, to observe and record behaviors, rituals, and social interactions. The goal is to gain a deep understanding of how individuals within these communities view their own social standing and identify with their culture.
Ethnology, on the other hand, is a branch of anthropology that involves cross-cultural comparison of different groups to understand the relationships and shared elements between them. Ethnologists might explore similarities and differences in language dialects, dress, tribal migrations, and other cultural elements to track changes in cultures and establish historical connections. This practice is particularly significant for understanding the migration patterns from the "old" world to the "new" world.
Forms of ethnographic research include using ethnographic film as a method, a record, or a means of reporting fieldwork. Additionally, there is an approach known as institutional ethnography, which focuses on investigating everyday social relationships within institutions, reflecting a feminist-inspired approach to social analysis.