ABSTRACT
THE QUESTION OF HOW RACE AND CLASS SHAPE EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE has far-reaching implications because it speaks to the interests of a variety of fields and disciplines. Only an eclectic approach would allow me to get at the ideas and behaviors I wanted to explore. Qualitative data obtained through ethnographic research bring into focus the lives and faces behind statistics and theoretical formulations. Numbers are persuasive, but quantitative reports can also mislead, based on the style in which they are presented and/or the importance given their explanatory power. Similarly, although anthropological theories help social scientists understand and categorize field observations, data gathered through ethnographic inquiry can defy expectations built around theoretical constructs.
