ABSTRACT
In Chapter 1, “Overview of rapid ethnographic assessment,” we introduce readers to the rapid ethnographic assessment (REA) method. We discuss the purpose and provide the defining characteristics and theoretical frameworks constituting REAs. We also include a discussion of when REAs are useful and under which circumstances they are not appropriate. Further, we provide the reader with an overview of REA, its history, and examples of its use in various contexts and disciplines. Finally, we discuss the basic principles underlying anthropological methods and theories, as well as the orientations of qualitative, applied, and action-oriented research and their positioning within disciplines with a strong focus on “evidence-based research.”
