Ethnographic Observations Research Articles

The Macau arraial: Portuguese heritage, serious games, and postcolonial identity in a Chinese tourist city

This study examines the reinvention of Portugal’s traditional arraial festival in the postcolonial city of Macau. It assesses the transposition of the arraial’s cultural significance from a Portuguese summertime event to an innovative tourist attraction that integrates Portuguese colonial symbols with interactive augmented reality experiences in three historic Macau neighborhoods. The research draws on stakeholder interviews, ethnographic observations, and analysis of game content to scrutinize how this tourist festival forges Macau’s hybrid post-colonial identity through visitor virtual engagement with Portuguese heritage. While the arraial is unique among Macau’s tourist festivals for its emphasis on Portuguese culture, it sometimes sanitizes colonial events or perpetuates historical social divides under the premise of harmonious cultural fusion. The research offers insights into the dynamics of tourism in postcolonial regions, the impact of cultural festivals as tourist attractions, and the educational potential of gamification in conveying heritage.

Environmental injustice in the air quality for digital platform delivery workers in Bogotá, Colombia, 2021

Air quality is a matter of interest for public health due to its rapid deterioration in low- and middle-income countries and the effects of polluted air on the health of populations. To explore the air quality conditions in which digital platform delivery workers carry out their work, evaluating the localities of Kennedy and Usaquén in Bogotá, 2021. We developed a mixed parallel convergent study based on four sources of information: 1) Ethnographic observation in five commercial locations of the two localities; 2) Monitoring of PM10 and PM2.5 in 56 delivery routes using a low-cost sensor; 3) Daily logs of the routes to support the device data interpretation, and 4) A semi-structured interview applied to the drivers to explore their danger perception during the routes. We identified elements causing environmental injustice among digital platform delivery workers between the two study locations. The routes made by the delivery drivers in the locality of Kennedy registered higher concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5, compared to the values observed in Usaquén. The sources of air pollution identified by the delivery drivers through ethnographic observation and the router logbook showed the worst parameters in Kennedy. We evidenced that air quality, urban equipment, road infrastructure, mobile sources, and geospatial location are elements that mark the presence of environmental injustice for the digital platform delivery drivers in the studied localities. To reduce this inequity, it is necessary for digital delivery platforms and the district government to implement strategies that reduce the exposure and emission of air pollutants to protect the health of digital platform delivery workers.

More-than-human Interconnections: Remedies against the new ‘Cosmopolitan Normal’ of Precarity?

The essay addresses a disjuncture between the discourse on cosmopolitanism and migrants’ everyday experience from a feminist and political ecology point of view, combining theorising with ethnographic observations. Migration as well as urban studies work validating the forms of organisation and ‘economies of perception and collaborative practice’ (Simone 2004) devised by individuals and communities in states of marginality, particularly in decolonised countries, informs a reflection about more-than-human interconnections emerging from migration between Bangladesh and Italy. Instead of male horizons of potent survival, experiences based on slow, subtle, often hardly visible, non-city-centric cooperations between human and vegetal cohabitants are foregrounded. Can the discourse on cosmopolitanism, seemingly dormant in migrant and activist circles, be activated by tying it more explicitly to movements opposing socio-economic precarity and ecological destruction?

The Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles Chinatowns

This paper presents a multi-level analysis of the signage in Los Angeles (LA) Chinatowns. Through a combined method of ethnographic observations, interviews and textual and visual analysis of language orthographies, the processes in which signage is designed, perceived, and interpreted are examined. A discussion of the range of interpretive readings of Chinese orthography and romanization is presented, with a focus on the relationship between the linguistic landscape and people’s language perception, and the changing social indexicalities of different linguistic variables displayed in LA Chinatowns. The paper concludes that the linguistic landscape can be taken as a form of informal language input which impacts Chinese immigrants’ language perception. Moreover, linguistic variables displayed on public signage not only contribute to the construction of the sociolinguistic context but also to the immigrants’ identity transformation.

The Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles Chinatowns

This paper presents a multi-level analysis of the signage in Los Angeles (LA) Chinatowns. Through a combined method of ethnographic observations, interviews and textual and visual analysis of language orthographies, the processes in which signage is designed, perceived, and interpreted are examined. A discussion of the range of interpretive readings of Chinese orthography and romanization is presented, with a focus on the relationship between the linguistic landscape and people’s language perception, and the changing social indexicalities of different linguistic variables displayed in LA Chinatowns. The paper concludes that the linguistic landscape can be taken as a form of informal language input which impacts Chinese immigrants’ language perception. Moreover, linguistic variables displayed on public signage not only contribute to the construction of the sociolinguistic context but also to the immigrants’ identity transformation.

Optimasi Konten Instagram dalam Strategi Promosi Bisnis Foto Pernikahan Sekawan Stories

Photography has grown rapidly, especially in the wedding photography industry which now requires an effective business promotion strategy. This research aims to identify how business people utilize Instagram as a promotional medium and strengthen Instagram content in Sekawan Stories' wedding photography business promotion strategy. Using a descriptive qualitative method, this study collected data through interviews and virtual ethnographic observations to understand how Sekawan Stories utilizes Instagram as a promotional medium. The results show that Sekawan Stories effectively utilizes various Instagram features, such as Feed, Instastory, Highlight, Video Reels, and Instagram Ads to increase visibility and audience engagement. Their marketing strategies include endorsements with well-known vendors, use of the Answer Question feature, conducting giveaways, and offering discounts at certain moments. Instagram provides a great opportunity for wedding photography businesses to expand their market reach and increase promotional effectiveness. By optimizing their content and marketing strategies on Instagram, Sekawan Stories managed to attract the attention of new customers, increase interaction, and strengthen relationships with existing customers. Overall, Instagram proved to be a highly effective platform in digital marketing strategies in the wedding photography industry.

He leads a lonely life: single men’s narratives of dating and relationships in the context of transnational migration

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from a qualitative research project examining the dating narratives of single migrant men residing in Sweden and Italy. The study, analyzing 48 interviews with individuals from Syrian, Polish, Bangladeshi and Romanian backgrounds, along with ethnographic observations, employs a theoretical framework rooted in sexual capital theory and critical studies on men and masculinities. The analysis sheds light on the challenges faced by heterosexual single migrant men in their pursuit of intimate partners, attributing these difficulties to lower levels of social, economic and cultural capital, as well as the influence of their specific masculinities, which may be perceived as less attractive within the host societies. The paper argues that the migrant experience can be viewed as a distinctive sexual field wherein individuals encounter unique dynamics and obstacles in the realm of intimate relationships. The implications of these findings extend beyond the personal experiences of migrant men, offering insights into the broader socio-cultural landscape of host societies and the complex interplay between migration, masculinity and intimate relationships.

Bridging the digital divide: Consumer engagement with transportation payment apps in emerging economies

AbstractThe digital divide remains a formidable challenge in emerging economies, highlighting disparities in technology access and utilisation. This study explores consumer engagement with mobile payment applications for transportation in Lagos, Nigeria, a critical context where these disparities manifest. The research presents consumer perceptions and behaviours using a triangulated approach encompassing ethnographic observation, semi‐structured interviews, and the ALARA model of information search. Anchored in the Engel–Kollat–Blackwell (EKB) theory of consumer behaviour, which depicts the five stages of consumer decision‐making—problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post‐purchase behaviour—this study identifies five key themes: awareness, information search, alternatives evaluation, engagement, and post‐engagement evaluation. Insights from the study reveal that cultural preferences and trust in traditional payment methods significantly influence users' willingness to adopt mobile payment apps. These insights underscore the importance of addressing socio‐cultural factors in technology adoption strategies. The findings highlight the need for an inclusive technological strategy to bridge the digital divide, emphasising the necessity of accessible information channels and user‐friendly interfaces to enhance consumer engagement. Continuous app refinement based on user feedback is crucial for optimising usability. Additionally, a nuanced understanding of socio‐cultural influences on technology adoption is essential for informing policy and business strategies. Overall, this study contributes to understanding technology adoption in emerging economies and provides actionable insights to foster inclusive digital transformations and mitigate the digital divide.

Multisensory Technologies for Inclusive Exhibition Spaces: Disability Access Meets Artistic and Curatorial Research

This article discusses applications of technology for sensory-disabled audiences in modern and contemporary art exhibitions. One case study of experimental artistic and curatorial research by The OtherAbilities art collective is discussed: a series of prototype tools for sensory translation from audible sound to vibration were developed to be embeddable in the architecture of spaces where art is presented. In the article, the case study is approached from a curatorial perspective. Based on bibliographical sources, the article starts with a brief historical reference to disability art activism and a presentation of contemporary accessibility solutions for sensory-disabled audiences in museums. The research for the case study was conducted during testing and feedback sessions on the prototypes using open-ended oral interviews, open-ended written comments, and ethnographic observation of visitors’ behavior during exhibitions. The testers were d/Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing. The results focus on the reception of the sensory translation of audible sound to vibration by test users of diverse hearing abilities and on the reception of the prototypes in the context of art and design exhibitions. The article closes with a reflection on how disability scholarship meets art curatorial theory in the example of the article’s case study.

“Holy Water”: The Ritual Praxis of Aladura Churches and Its Economic Implications in South West, Nigeria

Water is a vital natural resource for every living organism. Water is used for various anthropogenic purposes as drinking, washing, and cooking. In African and non-African religions, water is important for religious practices such as baptism, ablution, cleansing, healing, and worship of gods, to mention but a few. Aladura Churches in Nigeria also use water as one of the natural resources, to facilitate the completion of their rituals. Previous academic works show that the use of water in Aladura Churches is laden with symbolic use and these previous works are noticeable on the spiritual dimensions but neglect its economic implications. This study also argues that water is not only anthropogenic but has elements of sacralization in the ritual and idiosyncrasies of Aladura Churches. The data were gathered through ethnographical methods, interviews, and observation.

Patient safety in remote primary care encounters: multimethod qualitative study combining Safety I and Safety II analysis

BackgroundTriage and clinical consultations increasingly occur remotely. We aimed to learn why safety incidents occur in remote encounters and how to prevent them.Setting and sampleUK primary care. 95 safety incidents...

Rural Landscapes as Cultural Heritage and Identity along a Romanian River

In contemporary narratives, rural landscapes and identities, as judged by the inhabitants’ sense of belonging, continue to be important points that need to be (re)considered when discussing places as instruments for local development. This paper pushes forward these debates and explores the construction of rural and regional identity in Romania with the help of a case study that focuses on perceptions of rural landscapes as cultural heritage in two rural communities situated on opposite sides of the river Mureș. Based on participant and ethnographic observation and making use of a survey and a qualitative analysis, this paper highlights the most significant features of the local cultural identities and their rural landscape heritage expressed by the two sets of people, which often coincide with the most important characteristics attributed to the regions separated by the river Mureș. The results of this study underline the dividing role of the river in the preservation of rural identity and cultural heritage. They also demonstrate that rural landscapes and the construction of identities along the river have generated both development opportunities and various risks.

Gaming lounges in India afford socially productive gambling: The moral economy and foundations of play in Udaipur, Rajasthan

AbstractWe use ethnographic observations, interviews, and surveys to illuminate video game‐related gambling in India, where players use as currency decorative in‐game weapon covers referred to as skins. We focus on gaming and gambling related to virtual items acquired in the popular shooter game Counter‐Strike: Global Offensive, and our study unfolds among young adults who play in face‐to‐face centers called gaming lounges or zones. We consider how networks of video game players, themselves influenced by familial and societal demands, form moral economies that regulate why video game items are exchanged and how they are evaluated. Further, we use moral foundations theory to clarify ethical plurality in these settings, with tensions between moral demands shaping how and whether skins exchanges are judged to be socially productive or harmful. We show how gaming lounge owners’ personal values, some religiously informed, render emerging adults who play in these settings less at risk of excessive gambling, which is not tolerated either within close‐knit gaming groups or broader society. Overall, our analysis points to the utility of bringing into dialogue moral economy and moral foundations perspectives to uncover the cultural meanings of linked gaming and gambling in this context.

Caring for uncommon bodies: Commoning yoseba through indifferent care and working together

ABSTRACT This study examines the emergence of care as a commoning practice within grassroots movements by focusing on Sōgidan, an activist group supporting rough sleepers in San’ya, Tokyo. San’ya is yoseba (day labor auction market), a historical urban margin turning into a service hub. Produced as cheap, disposable labor in the process of Japanese modernization, Japan’s day laborers were enclaved in yoseba and left without social protection after the economic bubble burst. However, they were not merely victims; they embodied a rebellious subjectivity, actively breaking away from the oppressive society. Despite welfare provisions after the 2000s, many day laborers refused aid and continued to sleep on the streets. Through extensive archival research, ethnographic observation, and in-depth interviews, this paper illuminates how Sōgidan has developed strategies of care to relate to the underclass, the historical others who refuse aid. Sōgidan embodies and carries forward the underclass movement, which uniquely echoed feminist ethics of care. It also initiates the creation of the radical commons, reconfiguring the distance between individuals and collectives, and sharing precariousness differently from capitalist norms. By linking Sōgidan’s practices to feminist ethics of care, this research contributes to opening up new perspectives of care and in(ter)dependence toward the commons.

VIVALDI ASCOT and Ethnography Study: protocol for a mixed-methods longitudinal study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and other respiratory infection outbreaks on care home residents’ quality of life and psychosocial well-being

IntroductionOlder adults in care homes experienced some of the highest rates of mortality from SARS-CoV-2 globally and were subjected to strict and lengthy non-pharmaceutical interventions, which severely impacted their daily...

Formation of human kinship structures depending on population size and cultural mutation rate

How does social complexity depend on population size and cultural transmission? Kinship structures in traditional societies provide a fundamental illustration, where cultural rules between clans determine people's marriage possibilities. Here, we propose a simple model of kinship interactions that considers kin and in-law cooperation and sexual rivalry. In this model, multiple societies compete. Societies consist of multiple families with different cultural traits and mating preferences. These values determine interactions and hence the growth rate of families and are transmitted to offspring with mutations. Through a multilevel evolutionary simulation, family traits and preferences are grouped into multiple clans with interclan mating preferences. It illustrates the emergence of kinship structures as the spontaneous formation of interdependent cultural associations. Emergent kinship structures are characterized by the cycle length of marriage exchange and the number of cycles in society. We numerically and analytically clarify their parameter dependence. The relative importance of cooperation versus rivalry determines whether attraction or repulsion exists between families. Different structures evolve as locally stable attractors. The probabilities of formation and collapse of complex structures depend on the number of families and the mutation rate, showing characteristic scaling relationships. It is now possible to explore macroscopic kinship structures based on microscopic interactions, together with their environmental dependence and the historical causality of their evolution. We propose the basic causal mechanism of the formation of typical human social structures by referring to ethnographic observations and concepts from statistical physics and multilevel evolution. Such interdisciplinary collaboration will unveil universal features in human societies.

Understanding the challenges and successes of implementing ‘hybrid’ interventions in healthcare settings: findings from a process evaluation of a patient involvement trial

Introduction‘Hybrid’ interventions in which some intervention components are fixed across sites and others are flexible (locally created) are thought to allow for adaptation to the local context while maintaining fidelity....

Research Adaptivity in Times of Disruption: Zig-Zagging Your Way through the Field During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This study reflects on the field research interruptions that occurred around the world with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on my experience of in-person and remote fieldwork with vulnerable populations and sensitive research topics during this time, I introduce a “zig-zagging approach” that can be used as a research adaptivity strategy in times of disruption. I argue that “zig-zagging your way through the field” is a legitimate strategy as long as researchers acknowledge that changing from in-person to remote fieldwork (and vice versa) will alter various aspects of their relationship with the field including;(1) perception of positionality and authenticity; (2) processes of trust building and security challenges; and (3) experience of ethnographic immersion and observation. I offer mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of change and also discuss aspects that cannot be mitigated when working with vulnerable populations or sensitive research topics. I conclude on why going back—and forth (i.e., zig-zagging)—should become a practical solution when all else fails.

Getting out and giving back: repertoires of destigmatization in the private social safety net

Abstract Receiving assistance can be stigmatizing. As the cash welfare rolls have fallen to near-historic lows, the privatization of the social safety net in many states has brought up new questions about how recipients of assistance meet their material needs without sacrificing their sense of dignity. I draw on 15 months of ethnographic observation and 44 interviews with social service recipients in two majority Black neighborhoods in Houston, Texas to explore how they destigmatize their encounters with social service providers. I find that service recipients primarily seek out organizations that will treat them with respect due to the stigma attached to receiving assistance. This stigma is both racialized and gendered, such that groups with identities congruent with negative stereotypes about welfare recipients—like Black women—see themselves at higher risk of stigmatization and therefore practice destigmatization strategies with greater frequency. I build on these findings by highlighting two repertoires of destigmatization that service recipients draw upon to access both material and symbolic resources simultaneously: getting out of their neighborhoods to receive services anonymously and giving back by volunteering at local organizations. In doing so, I highlight multiple pathways through which residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods move from stigmatization to destigmatization in the welfare system.

Leveraging local knowledge for landslide disaster risk reduction in an urban informal settlement in Manado, Indonesia

Disaster preparedness and response, including for landslides, increasingly involves local knowledge. Incorporating contextual, dynamic and experience-based local knowledge leads to greater awareness of the interconnectedness of geological, natural, and social processes. Still, technical literature on urban landslide risk is mainly based on geological and natural dynamics and, to a lesser extent, physical infrastructure. Moreover, although local knowledge is recognized as important in principle for all aspects of disaster risk management, it is not frequently taken as a starting point for identifying contextually specific landslide risk factors in practice. To gain insights into local knowledge on factors contributing to landslide risk, we conducted a qualitative case study within a landslide-prone informal settlement in Manado, Indonesia. The study comprised qualitative household interviews, transect walks, and ethnographic observation. Our findings indicate that anthropogenic factors specific to informal settlements, particularly inadequate solid waste management, may serve as an overlooked risk factor for urban landslides. This is especially problematic in low-income or informal neighborhoods, where detrimental effects of poor solid waste management frequently intersect with heightened vulnerability to various hazards. We therefore advocate systematically incorporating anthropogenic factors into studies of contributing factors to urban landslides. Additionally, we encourage further research into the interactions between inadequate solid waste management and landslide risk. Finally, we call for leveraging local knowledge to enhance policy, planning, and research efforts, with the ultimate goal of fostering safer urban environments for all.