Uncovering the Essence

The Why and How of Supplementing Observation with Participation in Phenomenology-Based Ethnography

Bibliographic Data

ID7842764
AuthorsMichaela Pfadenhauer (0000-0002-6082-0364, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, corresponding author), Tilo Grenz (0000-0002-6255-3060, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria)
Year2015
Volume44
Issue5
Pages598-616
Publication date2015-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary Ethnography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0891-2416 • E-ISSN: 1552-5414
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0891241615587382
OpenAlexW2339160189
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited34

Participation in phenomenology-based ethnography is about involvement and “doing-it-yourself,” which generates data derived from immediate experience that can contribute to the reconstruction of the internal viewpoint by uncovering the essence of a phenomenon. This phenomenological orientation is the main focus of interest of the present paper. Based on reflections on the ethnographer as a participant who voluntarily assumes the role of the stranger, we demonstrate how observation can be supplemented with participation. We exemplify it with an ongoing research project on the deployment of a so-called social robot in dementia care. Our aim is to show that a subjective perspective, which does not claim to be superior but rather to be of value in its own right, increases the knowledge yield

Epistemology · Ethnography · Participant observation · Perspective (graphical · Phenomenology (philosophy · Phenomenon · Social science · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Critical Realism in Sociology · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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