[영문]How social workers in managed mental health care settings exercisetheir professional authority may have profound consequencesfor the provision of ethical and value-based services tovulnerable populations. Building upon Gidden’s theory of structuration,this article describes the use of critical ethnography asa specific research methodology that may support social workersin the exercise of their authority. This article examines thehistorical roots of critical ethnography and provides a detailedexamination of its underlying assumptions and research procedures.The article concludes with a case example of a critical ethnographyconducted within a managed mental health care setting.