Drawing Points, Tracing Lines
Writing Social Sciences Through Ethnographic Drawing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7472167 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dolorès Bertrais (0009-0004-8874-334X, The Environmental Governance and Territorial Development Institute University of Geneva Genève Switzerland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Area (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0894 • E-ISSN: 1475-4762 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/area.70100 |
| OpenAlex | W7130644938 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
This paper explores ethnographic drawing as both a methodological tool and an epistemological approach in the social sciences and more specifically in urban research. Based on fieldwork conducted in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) which follows the journey of a grain of sand from the Mekong riverbed to skyscrapers in the city, it examines how drawing, as a practice of in situ observation, can open new ways of seeing and perceiving urban transformation. Beyond its aesthetic dimension, in the social sciences, drawing offers a mode of inquiry that combines observation with care. It invites slowness and attention, helping the researcher to engage bodily involvement with the field. By restoring balance between thought and embodiment, drawing transforms perception into a relational and reflective act. As a practice, drawn ethnography goes beyond representation: it reshapes the researcher's gaze and makes visible the sometimes‐invisible textures, voices and so on, of everyday life. Ultimately, this paper argues that ethnographic drawing is not merely an illustration of research but a way of thinking, a means of organising understanding through lines, gestures and attention. It invites us to imagine research as a shared, sensorial and caring practice, capable of reconnecting knowledge with the worlds it seeks to grasp and describe
Embodied cognition · Ethnography · Gaze · Gesture · Mode (computer interface · Perception · Representation (politics · Cambodian History and Society · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Participatory Visual Research Methods
Puissance khat
Appréhender les relations à la nature en Afrique par le dessin sur le terrain
Drawing your way into ethnographic research
The significance of sketching
Critical observational drawing in geography
Drawing It Out
Ce que la bande dessinée nous apprend de l'écriture sociologique
Comics-based research
| Highly cited | No |
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