This is an open access book - challenges and solutions in ethnographic research - edited by Tuuli Lähdesmäki, Eerika Koskinen-Koivisto, Viktorija L.A. Čeginskas, and Aino-Kaisa Koistinen, all from or associated with the Finnish University of Jyväskylä.
The 2020 book is published by Taylor and Francis and 14 chapters organised into 4 sections two of which are of interest and relevance to my work.
Before the main chapters, the editors provide the 'Introduction: Ethnography with a twist' which covers the motivations and rationale for the book. These are mainly due to the movement to more social practices, globalisation providing an ever expanding and rich tapestry of human life to be investigated; and the importance of ethics and reflexivity underpinning all research.
The background to the book is summarised, being a conference held at the university in 2019. Short overviews of each chapter are then provided.
Section one covers 'new collaborative practices in ethnography' with 3 chapters.
The first chapter is by Johanna Turunen, Viktorija L. A. Čeginskas, Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus, Tuuli Lähdesmäki, Katja Mäkinen titled Polyspace: creating new concepts through reflexive team ethnography. The chapter writes on a collaborative effort, derived from experiences the authors had whilst convening at a heritage site. They define the distinctive elements of polyspace as being made up of an element of suddeness or surprise; a bizarre experience; requiring social agency and interaction; and something that draws on affect, emotion and empathy. The chapter details how the concept of poly-space was developed through the sharing of fieldwork experiences and sense making through intepretive reflexivity. Of importance is the development of a collaborative ethnography and collective interpretive reflexivity.
Following is a chapter on 'embodied adventures: an experiment in doing and writing multisensory ethnography by Eerika Koskinen-Koivisto, Tytti Lehtovaara. This chapter details and describes sensory ethnography. The challenges include the interpretation of embodied experiences, the verbal expression of things that are often difficult to describe and then to communicate these in ways which will other people understand. The chapter uses the experiences of the authors as they navigate into the group as an example.
Chapter 3 is with Matthew Cheeseman, Gautam Chakrabarti, Susanne Österlund-Pötzsch, Simon Poole, Dani Schrire, Daniella Seltzer, Matti Tainio on 'Ramblings: a walk in progress (in the minutes of the International Society of the Imaginary Perambulator). Here, the authors experiment with a study on and responses to each other's walking practices.
The next part focuses on 'Visuality and multi-modality in ethnography'.
Chapter four by Riitta Hänninen is on 'participant-induced elicitation in digital environments'. Draws on two studies by the author on Finnish lifestyle blogging and older adults as ICT users. Traditionally, photos or used to help draw out responses from participants. The photos may be taken by the participants, the researcher or selected to ground a topic. In this chapter, blogs and 'device use' were the anchors for participant induced elicitation. The advantages and disadvantages of each are presented and discussed.
The fifth chapters 'ethical challenges of using video for qualitative research and ethnography: state of the art and guidelines' is by Marina Everri, Maxi Heitmayer, Yamin-Slotkus Paulius, Lahlou Saadi. Undertakes a brief overview of the use of video in ethnographic research and the need to review the guidelines as technology and its ubiquity and range of uses, changes the nature of video ethnography. A literature review is undertaken to review the gaps and these are then discussed. Issues requiring update include the researcher-researched rapport; the complexities of informed consent; participant's rights including anonymity, confidentiality, data ownership and release. Solutions are discussed and examples provided.
Chapter six by Plhla Maria Siim is on 'drawing and storycrafting with Estonian children'. This chapter is based on a study of cross-border mobility and its effects on family lives, lifestyles and everyday practices. Proposes storycrafting as a method to engage with and provide a voice for young children.
The next chapter 'Sharpening the pencil: A visual journey towards the outlines of drawing as an autoethnographical method is by Marika Tervahartiala. The chapter details the methodology, motivation to use the method, discusses advantages and disadvantages, and sketches and narrates examples to illustrate the concepts.
The next two sections are good references but less relevant for the moment to my work. The third section has chapters on 'ethnography of power dynamics in challenging contexts'.
Firstly, Marie Sandberg writes on 'Retrospective ethnographies: Twisting moments of researching commemorative practices among volunteers after the refugee arrivals to Europe 2015'. Then Laura Stark with 'Ethnographic challenges to studying the poor in and from the global South'. Last chapter in this section is with Lotta Lounasmeri who write on 'Elite interviewing: The effects of power in interactions. The experience of Northern women.
The last section has four chapters on 'embodied and affective ethnography'.
Chapter 11 is by Marija Dalbello and Cathering McGowan who write on 'Memory narrations as a source for historical ethnography and the sensorial-affective experience of migration'. The following chapter is by Sofie Strandén-Backa on 'The involuntary ethnographer and an eagerness to know'. Then a chapter on 'Ethnography, arts production and performance: meaning making in and for the street' by Jessica Bradley.
The last chapter by Tom Boellstorff with 'Ethnographic twists and turns: an alternative epilogue' overviews the main themes and closes the book.
The book has mix of articles written and presented at a conference and collaborative works which were initiated and completed post-conference. It provides good examples of the ethnographical writing genre and proposes and examples contemporary ethnography. That is ethnography that is no longer a privileged researcher observation of the culture and practices of others, but deeper immersion, collaboration and co-creation, and acknowledgement of ethnography's important contributions but tempered by it's ethical emphasis and more future looking approaches.
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