Home 42 Ethnography
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

42 Ethnography

  • Emily Billo and Kelsey Hanrahan
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
How to publish with us
De Gruyter Handbook of Feminist Political Geography
This chapter is in the book De Gruyter Handbook of Feminist Political Geography

Abstract

Critical human geographers embraced ethnography as part of broader critiques of positivist and masculinist knowledge production and renewed attention to qualitative methods in social science. In this chapter, we examine the ongoing work of engaging with ethnography as a methodology toward critical knowledge production. Toward these ends, we hone in on ethnography as inherently embodied in the ways it brings our bodyminds into often intensive, intimate, proximate relations, while also situating ethnography within its masculinist, colonialist, and Eurocentric foundations. We trace the development of reflexivity and radical vulnerability, engagement with emotions in ethnographic fieldwork, and what it means to carefully build researcher–participant relationships, as well as practice collaborative and scholar-activist work. We demonstrate that these are embodied practices developed and engaged with by feminist and decolonial geographers that contribute to ethnographic possibility.

Abstract

Critical human geographers embraced ethnography as part of broader critiques of positivist and masculinist knowledge production and renewed attention to qualitative methods in social science. In this chapter, we examine the ongoing work of engaging with ethnography as a methodology toward critical knowledge production. Toward these ends, we hone in on ethnography as inherently embodied in the ways it brings our bodyminds into often intensive, intimate, proximate relations, while also situating ethnography within its masculinist, colonialist, and Eurocentric foundations. We trace the development of reflexivity and radical vulnerability, engagement with emotions in ethnographic fieldwork, and what it means to carefully build researcher–participant relationships, as well as practice collaborative and scholar-activist work. We demonstrate that these are embodied practices developed and engaged with by feminist and decolonial geographers that contribute to ethnographic possibility.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements
  3. Contents VII
  4. 1 Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Foundations
  6. 2 The Feminist Geography Of Feminist Political Geography 18
  7. 3 Feminist Geopolitics 33
  8. 4 Intimate Geopolitics 51
  9. 5 Nationalism 65
  10. 6 De/coloniality 77
  11. 7 Decolonizing Feminist Geopolitics 89
  12. 8 Trauma 103
  13. 9 Peace 115
  14. Part II: Critical Interventions
  15. 10 Black Futurity 129
  16. 11 Racial Capitalism 141
  17. 12 Populism 153
  18. 13 Electoral Democracy 165
  19. 14 Crip Geographies 177
  20. 15 Queer Geographies 189
  21. 16 Trans Geographies 201
  22. 17 Cuerpo-Territorio 213
  23. 18 Geographies Of Technology 227
  24. 19 More-Than-Human Geographies 239
  25. 20 Austerity 251
  26. 21 Labor 263
  27. 22 Health 275
  28. 23 Environmental Justice 287
  29. Part III: Spaces
  30. 24 Territory 303
  31. 25 The Nation-State 315
  32. 26 The Border 329
  33. 27 Spaces Of Refuge And Asylum 341
  34. 28 The Body 353
  35. 29 Home 367
  36. 30 The Workplace 379
  37. 31 The City 391
  38. 32 The Rural 403
  39. 33 The Ocean 415
  40. 34 The Ship 427
  41. 35 Public Transport 439
  42. 36 Infrastructure 451
  43. 37 The Prison 461
  44. 38 Food 475
  45. Part IV: Methodologies
  46. 39 Postcolonial Positionality 487
  47. 40 Digital Methods And Community-Engaged Research 499
  48. 41 Fieldwork 511
  49. 42 Ethnography 525
  50. 43 Creative Political Geography 537
  51. 44 Mobile Methods 549
  52. 45 Life Histories 563
  53. 46 Black Feminist Literary Methods 575
  54. 47 Historical Approaches 587
  55. List of Contributors 599
  56. Index
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111289274-043

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements
  3. Contents VII
  4. 1 Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Foundations
  6. 2 The Feminist Geography Of Feminist Political Geography 18
  7. 3 Feminist Geopolitics 33
  8. 4 Intimate Geopolitics 51
  9. 5 Nationalism 65
  10. 6 De/coloniality 77
  11. 7 Decolonizing Feminist Geopolitics 89
  12. 8 Trauma 103
  13. 9 Peace 115
  14. Part II: Critical Interventions
  15. 10 Black Futurity 129
  16. 11 Racial Capitalism 141
  17. 12 Populism 153
  18. 13 Electoral Democracy 165
  19. 14 Crip Geographies 177
  20. 15 Queer Geographies 189
  21. 16 Trans Geographies 201
  22. 17 Cuerpo-Territorio 213
  23. 18 Geographies Of Technology 227
  24. 19 More-Than-Human Geographies 239
  25. 20 Austerity 251
  26. 21 Labor 263
  27. 22 Health 275
  28. 23 Environmental Justice 287
  29. Part III: Spaces
  30. 24 Territory 303
  31. 25 The Nation-State 315
  32. 26 The Border 329
  33. 27 Spaces Of Refuge And Asylum 341
  34. 28 The Body 353
  35. 29 Home 367
  36. 30 The Workplace 379
  37. 31 The City 391
  38. 32 The Rural 403
  39. 33 The Ocean 415
  40. 34 The Ship 427
  41. 35 Public Transport 439
  42. 36 Infrastructure 451
  43. 37 The Prison 461
  44. 38 Food 475
  45. Part IV: Methodologies
  46. 39 Postcolonial Positionality 487
  47. 40 Digital Methods And Community-Engaged Research 499
  48. 41 Fieldwork 511
  49. 42 Ethnography 525
  50. 43 Creative Political Geography 537
  51. 44 Mobile Methods 549
  52. 45 Life Histories 563
  53. 46 Black Feminist Literary Methods 575
  54. 47 Historical Approaches 587
  55. List of Contributors 599
  56. Index
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 11.11.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111289274-043/html
Scroll to top button