Tóth Ferenc szerk.: Fiatal Néprajzkutatók Országos Konferenciája. Makó, 1991. augusztus 26-28. A Makói Múzeum Füzetei 75. (Makó, 1993)

ELŐADÁSOK - OLÁH GYULA: Az alkalmazott etnográfia felé. Lehetőségek és metodológiai problémák

ABSTRACT TOWARDS APPLIES ETHNOGRAPHY - POTENTIALS AND PROBLEMS OF METHODOLOGY Gyula Oláh In my paper I wish to discuss what kind of methodological renewal of hungarian ethnography is necessary in order to make it able to face new challenges. As to its subjects of research, now there is an excellent opportunity for investigating the social changes of the past half century. By doing so, the development of a partly independent science, "applied ethnography," which would hold strong ties with other social sciences, would become possible. All of this would be unimaginable without making use of the results of Hungarian ethnography, which I consider as capable of developing. Ethnography as an applied science could successfully contribute to solving both global and regional problems. This, in additon to securing the financial conditions for research, could open up new perspectives for young ethnographers as well. This research, of course, cannot be narrowed down to the traditional notion of folk culture and peasant-society or to the changes of these two. We are living in an exceptionally exciting environment today from the point of view of ethnography as well; it would be a sin not to make use of this. 55