The role of theory in ethnography depends partly on your research question and considerably on your findings from the research.
Ethnography is not a theory-testing method. So, the research questions that guide ethnography do not generally lead to using an existing theory to structure the research. For example, ethnography can analyze the research question, "How do cosumers use toothbrushes of different sizes?", without the intervention of an existing theory. However, the research question's importance and the decision on whether to the ethnography derives from its relationship to existing theories.
Once you have the findings of employing ethnographic fieldwork methods and appropriate analysis, we will find answers to our research questions. All ethnographers agree that we need to follow an iterative process of data collection, analysis, and comparison with existing literature or theories to answer our research questions. In this iterative process, theories get their first use in ethnography. Slowly a set of explanations or findings that answers the research question emerges, which is in relationship to the existing literature or theories. The new ethnographic findings can many times follow the explanation outlined by an existing theory, sometimes modify it, and rarely contradicts it also. Thus, ethnographies' relationship with theories is usually available to the ethnographer during and once the process of analysis is over. When such a relationship is evident to the researcher, post-analysis, his presentation of the findings will be interspersed with existing theory. As I explained before, this can most often be in the form of "our findings is consistent with ABC theory which explains..", or sometimes "our findings of XYZ modify ABC theory in terms of ….".
In summary, a theory is not the starting point in an ethnography, as the latter is not meant to be theory testing method. If an existing theory is explaining or answering your research question, then why do you need to put extra effort into doing your ethnography?
The role of theory in ethnography depends partly on your research question and considerably on your findings from the research.
Ethnography is not a theory-testing method. So, the research questions that guide ethnography do not generally lead to using an existing theory to structure the research. For example, ethnography can analyze the research question, "How do cosumers use toothbrushes of different sizes?", without the intervention of an existing theory. However, the research question's importance and the decision on whether to the ethnography derives from its relationship to existing theories.
Once you have the findings of employing ethnographic fieldwork methods and appropriate analysis, we will find answers to our research questions. All ethnographers agree that we need to follow an iterative process of data collection, analysis, and comparison with existing literature or theories to answer our research questions. In this iterative process, theories get their first use in ethnography. Slowly a set of explanations or findings that answers the research question emerges, which is in relationship to the existing literature or theories. The new ethnographic findings can many times follow the explanation outlined by an existing theory, sometimes modify it, and rarely contradicts it also. Thus, ethnographies' relationship with theories is usually available to the ethnographer during and once the process of analysis is over. When such a relationship is evident to the researcher, post-analysis, his presentation of the findings will be interspersed with existing theory. As I explained before, this can most often be in the form of "our findings is consistent with ABC theory which explains..", or sometimes "our findings of XYZ modify ABC theory in terms of ….".
In summary, a theory is not the starting point in an ethnography, as the latter is not meant to be theory testing method. If an existing theory is explaining or answering your research question, then why do you need to put extra effort into doing your ethnography?