Ethnographic Research Articles

Grand challenges and supplier development in the Global South: why experiment with new (ethnographic) intervention research methods

PurposeSupply chain management (SCM) is at a critical juncture, requiring (constant) re-evaluation of how it can contribute to research addressing grand challenges and sustainability without losing focus on rigor and theoretical contributions. Many of these are related to suppliers in the Global South. Recently, leading scholars and journals have addressed how supply chain research should experiment with new or less common methods to maintain “rigor” but have ignored conducting SCM research in the Global South. This viewpoint contributes to closing this gap.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a viewpoint and thus aims to stimulate new thoughts among readers but not to provide in-depth empirical documentation for the suggestions proposed. The methodological insights are based on research conducted over a decade to address sustainability challenges in supplier development in the Global South. We draw on supplier development projects in the garment industry in Bangladesh, the tanning industry in Sawar, Bangladesh, the coffee (flower) industry in Uganda, the garment industry in Myanmar and the plastic (waste) industry in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.FindingsThis viewpoint complements recent scholars’ calls for methodological experimentation. These calls do not explicitly address the specificities of grand challenges related to supply chain activities in the Global South. We propose using ethnographic intervention research to study grand challenges and suppliers in the Global South. Four central insights justify our findings.Research limitations/implicationsGrand challenges constitute an urgent global challenge. Most SCM literature focuses on supply chains in the Global North. This is a problematic omission because the consequences of, for example, climate change are expected to be experienced most severely in the Global South. Global supply chains are central to the challenges experienced by the Global South. Interventions can limit these negative effects. SCM scholars have not focused on the methodological implications of working with suppliers in the Global South. Therefore, the impact of interventions on grand challenges does not realize their potential. The methodological recommendations proposed in this study can help interventions in the Global South. These findings are limited; they are based post-mortem on the authors’ projects.Practical implicationsThe focus on intervention research is useful to ensure that researchers engage in real-life transformative activities. This study also provides new methodological tools that researchers and companies can use to design better interventions.Social implicationsThis study illustrates how grand challenges are wicked problems and why they need a specific methodological approach. Thereby, this study ensures that SCM can contribute to solving these grand challenges. This helps eliminate (social) sustainability problems caused by suppliers in the Global South.Originality/valueThis viewpoint adds new insights concerning the need to align methods with the problem and suppliers in the Global South. It focuses on ethnographic interventionist research and how this approach can reignite research on suppliers’ sustainability challenges in the Global South. New ethnographic methods represent a fundamental break in participatory observation studies in ethnography and an alternative to the dominant approaches used in SCM. The viewpoint is the first to illustrate how ethnographic interventionist methods can be used in SCM.

Call, Response, and Compromisso: Ethical Practice in Capoeira of Backland Bahia, Brazil

Abstract In the Afro-Brazilian music-movement form capoeira, call and response saturates all interactions in live performance events (rodas). In addition to call-and-response song structures, music calls bodies into movement, bodies call to one another, and movements invoke responses from instrumentalists. Yet call and response does more than organize the roda. Demonstrating how antiphony organizes group sociality, the article argues that the music and movement also summon members to assume a range of responsibilities within the group and their lives. These include showing up for trainings and rodas, maintaining instruments, preparing for annual events, and teaching capoeira to younger generations in Bahia's underserved communities. Practitioners frame their ethical commitments to capoeira as compromisso, a concept that implies broad, long-term dedication. Grounding the study in my ethnographic research conducted in Brazil, I bridge Black music scholarship with ethical Africana philosophy to argue that capoeira practitioners use knowledge generated in their music-movement practice to conceive an ethics of compromisso. While the literature on Black musics across the Americas widely acknowledges call and response as a foundational musical mechanism, few ethnographic studies have delved more deeply into the social, ethical, and political potentials of antiphony. The article thus contributes to understandings of how Black music-dance practices generate ethical knowledge and practice through their sounds and movements. As capoeira's antiphony transcends the roda's space-time, it calls practitioners to assume an unending compromisso, making commitments that span generations to continually leverage capoeira's lessons to improve lives in Black communities of backland Bahia.

Developing a Food and Nutrition Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study of Secondary Education Teachers

ABSTRACT Background High rates of obesity, diabetes, and malnutrition in United Arab Emirates (UAE) adolescents highlight the need for culturally tailored School Food and Nutrition Education (SFNE) programs to improve nutritional knowledge and promote healthy lifestyles. Purpose This study examined the challenges teachers face when helping students with non-examination assessments, and the systemic and individual factors that affect their preparedness to the Abu Dhabi SFNE curriculum. Methods An ethnographic study consisted of interviews with and observations of 29 teachers, complemented by document reviews. Results Limited time, resources, diverse student learning needs, minimal parental involvement, and socioeconomic disparities are among the challenges teachers face in implementing SFNE. Discussion We propose strategies for curriculum integration, professional development, and resource allocation. Translation to Health Education Practice Integrating elements of diverse cuisines and dietary practices from various cultures represented in the UAE will enrich the SFNE curriculum to promote cultural awareness among students.

Learning to Listen to Non-spoken Voices. Including Young People With Intellectual Disabilities Who are Non-speaking as Primary Participants in Qualitative Research

Despite the common expectation that social research should strive to include people with relevant expertise by experience, people with intellectual disabilities who are non-speaking are rarely included as participants. Social research seeking to understand self-harm has sought the direct experiences of people who self-harm for decades; this has contributed significantly to understanding the connection between emotional distress and self-harm. However, very few studies have asked people with intellectual disabilities about their own self-harm, and none have sought the views of individuals who are non-speaking. In 2020-22, an ethnographic research study was conducted which inquired about the emotional experiences of young people with intellectual disabilities who self-injured. Three teenagers with intellectual disabilities, all of whom were non-speaking, were recruited as the primary participants. This paper presents the range of methodologies and theoretical lenses that were adopted to facilitate three young people with no spoken communication to be the primary participants in a research study inquiring about their emotional experiences. Ethnography, which has historically been utilised as a method for including non-speaking participants in research, was the overarching methodology. The application of psychoanalytic principles and physiology concepts which were incorporated for capturing data about the participants’ emotional experiences are discussed, alongside the evidence-based assumptions that were adopted as principles guiding interaction and interpretation of the data. The paper concludes with some brief learnings and reflections on the research journey. Through this adapted methodology, the participants were able to contribute significant insights into the research inquiry, resulting in a dataset which reflected the rich, nuanced and overlaid emotional experiences, including significant emotional overwhelm and distress which could be understood as a factor for their self-injury. It is hoped that the explication of this approach prompts further consideration as to how non-speaking participants might be included in future social research.

Human-Centered Design in Industrial Engineering: Integrating User Needs, Design Decisions, and Social Impact Assessment

Industrial engineering, with its emphasis on optimizing processes, is theoretically centered on human factors, but in practice, this focus is often underrepresented within complex systems. This paper proposes a paradigm shift by advocating for the integration of Human-centered design principles. HCD offers a robust framework for understanding user needs throughout the design process, leading to the creation of not just efficient, but also usable, effective, and ultimately, sustainable industrial systems. We argue that human-centered design transcends traditional efficiency measures. By incorporating user research methods like ethnographic studies and usability testing, industrial engineers gain deeper insights into user capabilities, limitations, and motivations. This knowledge informs design decisions that optimize not just output, but also human-system interaction, leading to improved safety, operator well-being, and ultimately, increased system effectiveness. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the crucial role of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) within the human-centered design framework for industrial engineering. SIA encourages engineers to move beyond user-centric design and consider the broader societal implications of their creations. This ensures that industrial systems not only function flawlessly for users, but also contribute positively to the surrounding environment and communities. By outlining a potential workflow that integrates HCD and SIA, this paper proposes a holistic approach to industrial engineering project development. This approach prioritizes user research, iterative design based on user feedback, and a comprehensive evaluation of potential social impacts. By adopting this methodology, industrial engineers can redefine efficiency, creating not just productive but also user-centric, sustainable, and socially responsible systems that contribute to a more equitable future.

Making Sense of Responsibility in Rural Sustainability Work

Abstract This study aims to deepen our knowledge of how employees make themselves into responsible subjects when involved in sustainability initiatives in rural welfare services. The analysis was guided by the question of how employees make sense of themselves as responsible actors, capable of addressing managerial aspirations for enhanced sustainability in the public services they deliver. Data were collected through ethnographic field studies following sustainability work in a public housing company in a rural municipality in southern Sweden. The analysis draws on sensemaking theory and a Foucault-inspired conceptualization of how actors define themselves as subjects. The results identify two main modes of responding to management aspirations, linking to the emergence of two types of subjects; the habitual selves and the struggling selves. In total, the results depict four different responses as the main modes contain varieties, illustrating a wide range to make sense of responsibility. Furthermore, the analysis depicts an interplay between rural practices and the relational dimensions of responsibility (relations to management), diverging from established rural discourses as well as from a conventional Foucauldian conceptualization of managerial power as urging discipline at a distance.

Making mistakes in ethnography

Starting from the question: “How do mistakes arise in ethnography and how do they influence research trajectories?” this article makes a methodological and practical contribution to the literature on ethnography. I draw on three ethnographic studies spanning 2014 to 2020 carried out in sport organisations. Here, I consider mistakes as charged revelatory moments to unpack three interwoven aspects of mistakes: (a) wishful thinking, (b) the influence of social relationships, and (c) reflexivity. I make the case that mistakes will likely arise from extended participant observation periods. These mistakes can activate attention for similar mistakes in the future and thus limit attention to other unforeseen challenges. Further, I argue that no amount of planning, reading, preparation, and reflexivity can make researchers immune to mistakes when venturing into complex real-world settings and researching with people. Instead, they can lead to a deeper appreciation of the research context.

Distribution, traditional utilization, processing, and health benefits associated with the consumption of morama bean [Tylosema escululetum (Burch.)]: a survey from selected districts of Botswana

Morama bean [Tylosema escululetum (Burch.)] is a nutrient-dense underutilized legume that can address protein-energy and micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries. An ethnographic study using a snowball sampling method was conducted in Kweneng, Ghanzi, Southern, and Central districts of Botswana. The survey sought to gather and document information about demographic characteristics, traditional use, cultural norms, harvesting, processing, preservation, and health benefits of morama beans. A 5-point Likert-type scale was used to assess and rate the respondent(s) perceptions on traditional utilization and potential of the bean. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic grouping. It was found that morama bean is distributed in Botswana's sandy desert regions and is consumed by people who are native or migrated into these areas. Roasting in heated sand (mean = 4.93) and boiling fresh beans with water or milk (mean = 4.49) were the most popular methods of cooking morama beans. Across the four districts, morama bean was found to be an important component in traditional food and medicinal mixtures for undernourished infants, and expectant and lactating mothers, mostly prepared with soft porridge. Respondents cited a significant lack of scientific knowledge about the bean's medicinal properties (mean = 1.27–1.38), indicating the need for additional research. The nutritious density of morama beans (mean = 4.87) and their potential for processing into value-added products (mean = 4.10) were known to the respondents. As a result, the bean has a high potential to improve food and nutrition security in these communities.

Child Mortuary Practices Among the Bhumij Tribe of Odisha, Eastern India: An Ethnographic Study

Death is the most certain yet enigmatic incident in human society. Eschatological beliefs and rituals are deeply plowed areas in the field of social science, especially in anthropology. However, most of the studies have focused on the rituals associated with the mortuary practices of adults. While anthropological research on children and childhood in India has explored various aspects of children and childhood, the mortuary practice of the little ones remains relatively unexplored. This article attempts to shed light on child mortuary practices among the Bhumij tribe of the Mayurbhanj district in the vicinity of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve in northern Odisha. In this article, the authors have explored the significance of child mortuary studies in understanding adults’ perception toward children, the emotional entanglement of parents reflected through burials, eschatological beliefs, and the reconstruction of personhood and gender roles through the survey of the burial ground of the Bhumij tribe of Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

Birth philosophy and experience based on birth place: an ethnographic study in Indonesia

Background/Aims A woman's childbearing philosophy and the birth environment's paradigm will affect her experience of birth. This ethnographic study aimed to explore the interaction between birth philosophy, place of birth and birth experience. Methods Interviews were held with 16 postpartum women at hospitals and public health centres, conducted at 1 week and 42 days postpartum. Observations were also taken on implementation of birth in both settings. Data were analysed thematically. Results Participants viewed birth as a medical problem that required assistance from healthcare professionals. The health system supported technocratic childbirth, particularly as a result of the referral system, which eliminated midwives' role in providing a natural birth. Conclusions The healthcare system should prioritise women's comfort during birth. Women should be given information about natural birth during antenatal care, and healthcare professionals should avoid behaviour that encourages women to give birth technocratically. Implications for practice Private midwives need the opportunity to provide independent services, and midwives need training on women-centred care. Birth planning could be used to increase women's capacity and authority over their bodies.

When math meet culture: Exploring ethnomathematics in red mosque’s design

Mathematics can be found in cultural aspects. Moreover, Indonesia has a variety of cultures that can be explored and used as mathematics learning resources. Existing mathematics learning has yet to integrate cultural elements that are close to students. The aim of this study is to examine the findings of geometric objects and mathematics activities in the Moekhlas Sidik Red Mosque. The research method used was an ethnographic study and data collection techniques in the form of observations, documentation, and interviews. The obtained data were analyzed using an interactive model: data reduction, data presentation, data interpretation, and conclusion. This study found that the geometric objects include 2D shapes, 3D shapes, and geometric transformations. The 2D shapes observed are triangles, trapeziums, squares, rectangles, rhombuses, and semicircles. The 3D shapes that can be observed are rectangular prisms. Geometric transformation is the use of the principles of translation, reflection, and rotation. The mathematical activities that can be explored include creating tile patterns, finding the purpose of tile patterns, and drawing 2D shapes using geometric transformation principles. In addition, the existence of the Moekhlas Sidik Mosque provides socioeconomic value that has an impact on the surrounding community.

Exploring ethnomathematics in Malay architecture and traditional hall in Penyengat Island and connecting it to geometry in elementary schools

Malay ethnomathematics is culture-based learning that is very important in 21st-century life. The progress of globalization has led to many technological advances, which have resulted in many cultures being abandoned or even extinct. Ethnomathematics research can be a solution for preserving culture, because it integrates culture and learning materials in schools. This study aims to explore Malay ethnomathematics in the architecture of the Indra Perkasa Traditional Hall on Penyengat Island as a resource for teaching mathematics on geometry and measurement in elementary schools. The method used was an ethnographic study, which is part of a qualitative research method. Data collection techniques included observation, interviews, documentation, and other sources, such as books and journals. This study shows some aspects of Malay ethnomathematics related to geometry and measurement materials in elementary schools, including flat shapes, spatial shapes, and length measurements. This study indicates the potential for the integration of Malay ethnomathematics into the architecture of the Indra Perkasa Traditional Hall on Penyengat Island as a mathematics learning resource for geometry and measurement in elementary schools in Indonesia.

Ethnomathematical exploration of the Remo dance as a source for mathematics learning

Mathematics and dance are connected to both content and processes. This research aimed to explore Remo dance elements of movement, fashion accessories, and accompanying musical equipment as sources of mathematics learning. This ethnographic study was conducted at one of the oldest dance studios in the Kediri district. The research subjects were three Remo dance experts, consisting of a studio owner and two professional Remo dancers. Data were collected by interviewing the sources and observing and documenting dances. The data analysis uses triangulation based on the results of observations, documentation, and interviews. The exploration of mathematical concepts found in Remo dance was then analyzed using interrater reliability based on the agreement of three mathematics education experts. The results revealed 17 mathematical concepts in the Remo dance exploration of movement elements, fashion accessories, and accompanying musical equipment with almost perfect reliability categories. As a mathematics learning source, the Remo dance context can be applied to learning activities, preparing materials, and preparing test instruments.

"Navigating the lived efficacies of Chagas treatment".

Drawing on an ethnographic study of Chagas treatment among migrant domestic workers in Catalonia, conducted between January 2014 and May 2016, and utilizing the concepts of "lay care" and "living labyrinths," this paper explores how the efficacy of parasiticide treatments is experienced within relational and contextually situated frameworks. While pharmaceutical efficacy is often characterized by temporary and uncertain outcomes, the results indicate that lived efficacy is shaped by a complex interplay of embodied sociocultural, political, and historical processes, being continually negotiated and redefined within a broader context of global health values, biomedical technologies, migratory experiences and ethnicity, patient-doctor relationships, personal identities, daily demands, and care practices. The findings emphasize the reflexive management of the condition by those affected and highlight the role of pharmaceuticals as active agents that shape social and cultural dynamics, with significant impacts on social life and healthcare. By examining lived efficacy, the study suggests that limited access to healthcare services is not the sole process preventing treatment for Chagas, providing deeper insights into the logics behind actions related to Chagas pharmaceutical treatments. Incorporating "lay care" practices and perspectives into the therapeutic negotiation process not only acknowledges the complex "living labyrinths" navigated by social groups but also offers a foundation for reflecting on and reimagining alternative forms of care, recognizing their role in social and cultural reproduction.

Listening

This editorial examines the critical importance of listening as a fundamental social art, as much in global and everyday politics as within anthropology and other academic discourses. Herzfeld argues that true listening – beyond mere turn‐taking – is increasingly endangered by polarization, institutional legalism, and self‐censorship. Drawing on examples from anthropological fieldwork, recent academic controversies, and global political tensions, he advocates for a ‘militant middle ground’ that embraces disagreement as essential for knowledge creation and mutual understanding. This position rejects both extreme relativism and rigid scientism, instead promoting a dynamic engagement with different viewpoints while acknowledging the inherent partiality of all human knowledge. He thereby argues that anthropology's experiential approach through fieldwork offers a model for cultivating the humility and the willingness to embrace uncertainty necessary for productive dialogue in a world that has increasingly forgotten how to listen.

‘The Moroccan king wants Western Sahara without its people’: an argument for Western Sahara as a settler colony

ABSTRACT This paper examines the case of Western Sahara through the lens of settler colonial studies. A former Spanish colony in northern Africa, Western Sahara is most often described as ‘occupied’ by Morocco since 1975. I aim at shifting this narrative by applying settler colonial theory, more specifically Veracini’s concept of transfer, to the relation between Moroccan authorities and the indigenous population. Building on anthropological fieldwork in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria and interviews with Sahrawis in Algeria, Morocco and Europe, I look at how Sahrawis have experienced a number of transfers whose compounded effect is the gradual elimination of the native population.

Paradoxes in Action: Lived Perspectives of Irregular, Nigerian Sex Workers in Spain

ABSTRACT Despite highly vocal concerns regarding modern slavery, there remains a need for fine-grain research about irregular migratory phenomena, particularly the voices of those trafficked for sex work. This ethnographic study sought to address this lacuna by investigating the lived experiences of 19 Nigerian Edo women working as streetwalkers and madams in Spain. We discuss the women’s perspectives on irregular migration and resettlement, which span wide-ranging psychosocial, sexual, cultural, and spiritual phenomena. Eight seeming paradoxes run through the women’s accounts, including how some distinguish migrant sex work from sex trafficking, and perceive it as taking social transformation into their own hands. Here, we focus on the women’s insights drawn from contextualized, lived experiences, and their strong desire to ensure future generations of Edo women do not follow in their footsteps. We argue that it is vital to consider marginalized migratory populations as “the experts” if we are to understand the local issues and root causes of trafficking, and help inform realistic, reliable, and achievable response strategies.

Doing ‘detective work’ to find a cancer: how are non-specific symptom pathways for cancer investigation organised, and what are the implications for safety and quality of care? A multisite qualitative approach

BackgroundOver the past two decades, the UK has actively developed policies to enhance early cancer diagnosis, particularly for individuals with non-specific cancer symptoms. Non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways were piloted and...

Dead in Life: Narratives About Circumstances Prior to Suicide in Rural Western Spain

Background: In rural contexts, meanings of suicide are part of the intimate heritage of those closest to the suicidal person. They are also constructed through a social process. Over time, the community creates meanings, shares notions, and experiences common emotions. In this process, the boundaries between the life and death of the suicidal person are blurred. Methods: An ethnographic study was carried out with more than six months of fieldwork in a rural locality of Extremadura, Spain. This research included narratives that delved into the historical memory of suicides from 1922 to 2023. Results: In the narratives, the following categories emerged in the consideration of the suicidal person at the moment of death: trance as a transition/connection towards death, the appearance of being detached from life, the possibility of resurrection, and the premonitory appearance. These categories were interrelated and shared close symbolic meanings. Conclusions: The nature of the results and their contrast with diverse theories and experiences show that the earthly and otherworldly planes are intertwined. This allows us to affirm that, in the narratives about suicides, individuals perceive themselves as simultaneously alive and dead at the moment of taking their own lives.

Inventorying data: circumvented investment conditions by Big Tech’s supply chain capitalism

ABSTRACT The capital success of multinational tech companies is usually understood to be a result of innovative business models that offer free user access to digital services in return for data. This article shows that besides platformization, the political, economic, and cultural embedding of multinational tech companies depends on the specific ways in which datacenters are established locally. Our ethnographic study of a hyperscale datacenter demonstrates that major local capital investment made it possible for Meta to establish itself as a data producing company in Denmark. Investment conditioned on local political trust in industrial integrity is a process that makes the datacenter a site where data can become a product and thus capital value in the Big Tech supply chain. We theorize this process as inventorying. Implications of the analysis are twofold: First, the concept of inventorying extends the understanding of how data become valuable beyond platformization as it highlights the social, cultural, and political context that continues to enable monopolization of the digital economy. Second, it shows how even a heavily regulated welfare state has few mechanisms to hold big tech companies accountable in terms of their promises of democratic, sustainable, and welfare-political engagements.