Telling the Code of the Street

Abstract

In traditional ethnographies, codes explain conduct. A code of conduct is implied by research participants, explicated by researchers, and used by both to explain interactions. The Code of the Street by Elijah Anderson epitomizes this orthodox ethnographic analysis of codes. In ethnomethodology, conduct explains codes. Researchers analyze how research participants refer to codes of conduct in their interactions. “Telling the Code” by D. L. Wieder exemplifies this ethnomethodological analysis of codes. In this ethnomethodological ethnography, we analyze how the code of the street influences the conduct of black male basketball players and how those players explain their conduct by telling the code. This article clarifies how ethnographers can use ethnomethodology to analyze codes as causes and consequences (doing so will produce more skeptical texts).