Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal , H3A 1X1, Canada.
School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6PE, UK.
Epigenomics. 2021 Nov;13(21):1771-1786. doi: 10.2217/epi-2020-0009. Epub 2021 Mar 3.
This article describes ethnography as a research method and outlines how it excels in capturing the salient experiences of individuals among diverse communities in their own words. We argue that the integration of ethnographic findings into epigenomics will significantly improve disparities-focused study designs within environmental epigenomics by identifying and contextualizing the most salient dimensions of the 'environment' that are affecting local communities. Reciprocally, epigenetic findings can enhance anthropological understanding of human biological variation and embodiment. We introduce the term bio-ethnography to refer to research designs that integrate both of these methodologies into a single research project. Emphasis is given in this article, through the use of case studies, to socially disadvantaged communities that are often under-represented in scientific literature. The paper concludes with preliminary recommendations for how ethnographic methods can be integrated into epigenomics research designs in order to elucidate the manner in which disadvantage translates into disparities in the burden of illness.
本文将民族志描述为一种研究方法，并概述了它如何擅长用不同社区中个体的语言来捕捉他们的突出体验。我们认为，将民族志研究结果纳入表观基因组学中，通过确定和上下文化影响当地社区的“环境”的最突出维度，将显著改善环境表观基因组学中以差异为重点的研究设计。反过来，表观遗传学发现可以增强人类生物学变异和体现的人类学理解。我们引入了“生物民族志”一词，指的是将这两种方法整合到一个单一研究项目中的研究设计。本文通过使用案例研究，重点介绍了在科学文献中经常代表性不足的社会弱势群体。本文最后提出了初步建议，说明如何将民族志方法整合到表观基因组学研究设计中，以阐明劣势转化为疾病负担差异的方式。
