Ethnographic practices : Theory, Method, Trends

Ethnography as a methodology is more than a century old (see Gobo and Molle, 2017). It emerged in the Western world as a specific form of knowledge regarding distant cultures (typically non-Western ones) that were considered impenetrable to analysis due to only fleeting contact or brief exchanges. Despite its seemingly admirable intentions, such as gaining a deeper understanding of other cultures and their people, ethnography remains a colonial method that must be decolonialized (for a detailed analysis, see Gobo, 2011). Over the last twenty years, the need for a postcolonial methodology – including a reimagined ethnography – has become increasingly urgent. Several attempts have been made in this direction (see Haris, 2022; Manning, 2016; Thobani, 2015), aiming to produce ethnographic reports that are less influenced by the observer’s stereotypes and prejudices.