The Observer as an Instrument in Qualitative Community Studies

Authors

Pranab Chatterjee, Case Western Reserve University

Abstract

A qualitative study of leadership in local black communities was done by an Asian Indian scholar in Cleveland during the nineteen sixties and seventies. This paper narrates the conditions under which and the methodology with which the study was done. Using participant observation, interviews, and reviews of published and unpublished documents, the author develops ten propositions about organizational and electoral leadership in black communities. Further, three additional propositions about the adequacy of qualitative research are also developed from this research experience. A short comparative review of trends in these communities is appended.

Recommended Citation

Chatterjee, Pranab (1993) "The Observer as an Instrument in Qualitative Community Studies," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 20: Iss. 4, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2093
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol20/iss4/3