Ethnographic Research Articles

Students Exploring Health Disparities in Undergraduate Kinesiology Course

ABSTRACT Kinesiology courses that implement health disparities (HD) topics into the undergraduate curriculum engage students in critical and conscious thinking about health outcomes and strategies as they prepare for careers as future health and medical professionals. Health disparities are disproportionate differences in health based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and environmental factors that are preventable for providing opportunities to achieve optimal health. Implementing HD topics into undergraduate courses increases knowledge and awareness and inspires long-term interest in health equity work. This ethnographic case study assessed how 142 undergraduate Kinesiology majors navigated HD topics with critical consciousness as a guiding framework. Three themes emerged from student exploration: eye-opening experiences, lived experiences, and learning experiences. Upper-level students reported an increase in HD (75%–95%) awareness of the meaning of the term and the communities impacted. The lack of prior engagement (29%) with HD ignited tensions around learning experiences. Students who engage in HD topics earlier in their academic programs increase their knowledge and strategies for integrating HD into future learning and practices.

我抓在手里捏成棉花糖，什么烦恼不能忘: Learning Mandopop lyrics to promote bilingualism and biliteracy development

ABSTRACT Guided by heritage language and translanguaging theory, this ethnographic case study explores how a young second-generation Chinese American student used Mandopop lyrics to enhance her heritage language learning at home. Over six months, the mother, also the researcher collected 61 audio recordings of the student’s readings and singing of Mandopop, as well as translingual conversations between them. Supplemented with the researcher’s field notes, the analysis revealed significant improvements in the student’s pronunciation, Mandarin word recognition, oral language skills, and vocabulary. These improvements subsequently increased her oral translingual practices. Additionally, discussions about Mandopop lyrics enhanced the student’s higher-level thinking and understanding of her heritage culture. Overall, Mandopop lyrics effectively promote the student’s bilingual and biliteracy development. This study underscores the role of Mandopop lyrics in incorporating deep cultural elements, fostering bilingualism, and enhancing biliteracy. By engaging with Mandopop, the student connects with her heritage culture and improves her linguistic abilities in a meaningful and enjoyable way, highlighting the potential of music as a valuable tool in heritage language education.

A realistic nostalgia for the future — exploring materials and material utterings in a preschool for sustainability

In Nordic kindergarten, activities with materials have had a significant position historically. The Norwegian term “forming” includes both the material-based craftwork and the art area. Research shows that creative activity with materials constitutes a smaller part of the content in the kindergarten than before. The aim of this article is 1) to provide a historical overview of the subject forming, 2) to put this retrospectively into an epistemological context that points towards 3) an actualization in relation to the UN Sustainability Goals and children’s right to expression according to the UN Convention. The article is based on an ethnographic study in kindergarten and an article on the topic written in Norwegian (Carlsen, 2015, 2022). The discussion illuminates how the anchoring of forming in natural and cultural materials is lifted into a sustainability perspective and how a shift in theoretical perspectives opens new understandings and contributes to the kindergarten’s content.

Between the Religious and the Secular: Latin American Neo-Pentecostalism in a Context of Multiple Modernities

This article seeks to understand neo-Pentecostalism in Latin America as a religious and political movement within the framework of multiple modernities, based on an ethnographic study in evangelical churches in Chile and Mexico. The study focuses on two main axes: the discourse of the “Kingdom of God” and the experience of the Holy Spirit. The former explores the conception of public space, while the latter examines the experiential dimensions, both individual and collective, that confer meaning and legitimacy to this religious movement. Neo-Pentecostalism emerges as a complex phenomenon where religion and politics intertwine in novel ways, responding to the intricacies of the region. Contrary to the notion of a monolithic and reactionary movement, this article demonstrates how neo-Pentecostalism is a movement that navigates the interstices between the religious and the secular.

Engagement Matters: The Romantic Relationship between Female Users and the Generative AI

The rapid development of generative AI is changing people’s lives and brought a series of new social issues and concerns. One newly-emerged phenomenon was some generative AI users, especially female users, started to engage in an in-depth, romantic relationship with generative AI. Faced with the new relationship, this ethnographic research aims to investigate the motivation, behaviours, and perspectives of female users so as to provide a comprehensive picture of this group. This digital ethnographic study adopts the methods of semi-structured interviews and text analysis of posts by participants on Xiaohongshu. This study has shown a debate among human-AI romantic relationship female practitioners about whether the generative AI is conscious or is just a machine. However, all participants tend to consider the generative AI to have a humane feature and treat it in a human-like way like in a real-life relationship and gained value which is different from real-life relationships. Finally, in a modernization theory perspective, the authors point out that females’ establishment of human-computer intimacy is driven by individualism and rationalism. By focusing on the motivations and experiences of female users, this study fills a gap in research on the romantic relationship between humans and AI. While responding to public concerns about the potential risks AI may pose to society, this study also provides a reference for future research and policymaking in this field.

Connect, care, create: practical framework for physical environment design for person-centred palliative care.

This article aims to explore architectural-rich insights derived from users' experiences within everyday practice in palliative environments and provides a practical framework for healthcare organisations, architects and researchers involved in (re)designing palliative environments for person-centred care. An ethnographic study involving participatory observation was undertaken to gain insight into the influence of palliative environments on the diverse users' subjective experiences. This immersive research took place across multiple palliative environments, encompassing a palliative care unit, a day care centre for palliative care and a hospice located in Belgium. Also, informal conversations and photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with residents, family members, healthcare professionals, volunteers and maintenance staff. Analysing the subjective experiences yielded a practical framework of four architectural atmospheres (proximity, support, engagement, comfort) intended to serve as guiding principles for designing palliative environments. To shape these atmospheres, this article elaborates on 17 spatial aspects and aligns them with real-life experiences of users within palliative environments, thereby enriching and contextualising these insights. This study presents a practical framework encompassing atmospheres, spatial aspects and overarching insights. It is augmented by supplemental material featuring real-life user experiences, all directed towards guiding the design of palliative environments in pursuit of person-centred palliative care. This article advocates for a collaborative, interdisciplinary, holistic design approach that acknowledges these considerations' interconnectedness and considers the users' multiple perspectives. Ultimately, this approach serves as a means of bridging design intentions and actual experiences encountered by users in their real-life contexts to assist healthcare organisations and architects in creating environments for person-centred palliative care.

New House, New Furniture, New Room: Children’s Pandemic Landscapes of Care in Chile

Standing at the intersection between geographies of care and children’s geographies, we present three ethnographic stories (emerging from three ethnographic studies) through which we argue that, as a result of pandemic confinement in Chile, children’s places within their landscapes of care shifted in a twofold sense: First, given the de-mobilisation and spatial concentration of spaces of care at home, children’s place became closer to adults,’ suspending the usual spatial segregation that separates them. And second, in tandem with this new proximity that we refer to as in-person family relationships, new possibilities for the involvement of children in family care practices emerged. This rearrangement of children’s places within landscapes of care brings to the fore two interrelated aspects of family care from children’s perspective. First, the kind and amount of in-person family time spent in a shared space in “normal” times was not enough from the perspective of children’s needs and interests. And second, even though children are usually seen as subjects of care, they are people who care for others and who are able to take on more caring responsibilities than the ones that they usually are expected to.

The role of the organisational context in the implementation of a complex mental health intervention

Abstract Introduction The 2021 framework for complex interventions introduced by the UK Medical Research Council highlights context as one of the core elements. In the implementation phase, context is considered especially critical as it affects the intervention’s effect, sustainability, and transferability. However, in public health implementation research, there is a lack of understanding of the interrelatedness between intervention and context conditions. This study aimed to explore the role of the organisational context in implementing a complex mental health intervention. Methods The study was designed as an ethnographic case study. This design enabled a comprehensive exploration of the relation between the case and its context by providing insights into the process of change implied in the implementation and how this collides with the organisational norms, culture, and structure. Four general practices participating in The Healthy Mind Intervention were included as cases. One-person interviews with clinic owners, focus group interviews with personnel, and observations of intervention activities and everyday life in the practices were used to collect data. Results Three themes were identified. First, existing organisational norms, ideals, and values were replicated in the implementation process and either inhibited or facilitated the process of change. Second, different narratives of both implementation and context existed among some of the professional groups, which complicated the collaborative efforts in the implementation. Last, conflicts in the organisations were actualised in the implementation process, which enabled a discussion and improvement of these issues. Conclusions Ethnographic case studies provide extensive insights into the role of the organizational context in implementing complex interventions, which is critical for the implementation to be effective, qualified, and sustainable.

Born in Ethiopia

Abstract Background Goal 3 of the United Nation 2030 Agenda states that we want to ensure health and well-being for all. This is even more true for countries in the IV World. The aim of our study is to investigate the timing of childbirth in Ethiopia. Methods The stages of our ethnographic study include: choosing the study topic and location, participating in group life, collecting and analysing data. The field experience, led by a midwife, took place from September 2023 to October 2023 in Ethiopia, within the Saint Luke Catholic Hospital in Wolisso. Results The instruments that the midwives have at their disposal are few and obsolete: the most is Pinard’s stethoscope. The mothers are all very young: the youngest woman was fourteen years old while the oldest woman was thirty-eight years old. As for parity, the fertility rate is around 4.6 live births per woman. Women’s family members take care of them in all aspects of care. Pregnant and new mothers receive support from their attendants, an all-female network. Pregnancy monitoring is almost non-existent. There is no prenatal diagnosis. In 2022, St. Luke’s hospital saw a 20% caesarean section rate, an increase from the previous two years. Poverty and the lack of government facilities that can support a problem child are two of the reasons why many of these children are abandoned. In terms of maternal and child health, mortality indicators are still too high for mothers and children. There are 353 mothers dying per 100,000 live births and 41 babies dying per 1,000 live births. Conclusions The biomedical model exported from the Western world, as shown for example by the increase in caesarean sections, has led to a slow but progressive hospitalisation of childbirth in the search for safety from maternal and neonatal mortality. Key messages • Poverty, malnutrition, lack of sanitation and drinking water, as well as early pregnancies and high parity remain among the leading causes of mortality in Ethiopia. • The biomedical model exported from the Western world has led to a slow but progressive hospitalisation of childbirth in the search for safety.

The Value of Ecological Wisdom in the Oral Story of the Toba Batak "Tombak Sulu Sulu": An Ethnographic Study

This research explores the values of ecological wisdom contained in Toba Batak's oral stories, especially the legend of "Tombak Sulu Sulu." The background of this research is based on the importance of environmental preservation amid the threat of ecological disasters around Lake Toba. The method used is qualitative, with an ethnographic study conducted in the Bakkara Valley. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with traditional leaders, field observations, and documentation related to the legend. The results showed that this legend contains five central values of ecological wisdom: respecting nature, living in harmony with nature, wise use of natural resources, using environmental knowledge for place naming (toponymy), and making nature a spiritual tool. These values emphasize the importance of harmonious relationships between humans and the environment that can be integrated into nature conservation and sustainable development efforts. This research offers a new perspective on how traditional narratives can build societal ecological awareness.

Chhukri Dance of Bangladesh:

Despite all distinctions, performances by males in female roles, widely known as Chhukri, are a common phenomenon in folk theatrical performances in Bangladesh. Male performers in this unique setting appear on stage as transvestite females with dexterity and believability in their costumes, make-up, gestures, and behavior. In this theatrical presentation, the male performer’s external change is clear and visible. What is the internal process of transformation? To what extent is social, traditional, or mythical performance knowledge practiced in the process of internal transformation? This ethnographic study aims to examine the process of transforming a male into a female role in traditional Chhukri Dance in Bangladesh. The traditional or mythological references of Shakti (energy) and Bhaba (emotion) have been selected as the key tools in analyzing the process of transformation. It also analyses how feminine gender is defined traditionally and performed socially within the practitioner communities, and how they are embodied aesthetically in the performer’s dance body. To examine hereditary performance knowledge and practices linked to Chhukri Dance in particular, this study describes two theatrical groups that give traditional performances. It explores thechhukri community and the training process, performance techniques and structure, and the codes and characteristics of the two Chhukri theatrical groups.

The relational institution: an ethnographic study of recovery orientation and relational engagement on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward in London

BackgroundIn the UK, inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation services for complex psychosis aim to provide recovery-orientated treatment to patients, with the goal of supporting sustained stepdown into community living. The extent to which rehabilitation services uphold this recovery orientation is associated with better outcomes. However, few studies have been able to ascertain what promotes or prevents recovery orientation in inpatient settings.MethodsWe conducted an ethnographic study of treatment on a National Health Service (NHS) psychiatric rehabilitation ward in London over six months during August 2022-February 2023. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 9 patients and 14 staff members. Fieldnotes and interview transcripts were analysed using situational analysis.ResultsOur analysis highlights the importance of what we term ‘relational engagement’ between staff and patients to nurture and sustain recovery-orientated treatment. This relational engagement was embodied through small acts of genuine human connection grounded in mutual acceptance and affective bonding; close attention to detail that communicated curiosity and respect; and recognition, appreciation, and encouragement of the slow and gradual progress that characterises recovery in complex psychosis. Yet, this relational engagement was often limited or foreclosed by the social environment of the ward and the wider institutional context. Limiting elements included the dominance of hospital logics geared towards high-throughput acute treatment and risk management; the presence of audit culture that led to a level of standardisation curtailing more genuine human connection; and staff demoralisation driven by events on and off the ward, including system-wide crises and more localised conflicts and disturbances. Some of these conflicts involved discrimination, most prominently anti-Black racism and homophobia, reflecting wider structural inequalities that characterise inpatient psychiatric populations and the healthcare workforce.ConclusionRelationships, often under-prioritised in mental health services, were a key cornerstone of recovery-orientated treatment on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward. The shaping of therapeutic relationships amounted to an active process of relational engagement, which may be afforded or constrained by complex social elements requiring careful consideration in inpatient psychiatry. These social elements go beyond more surface-level factors such as staff training, knowledge, or attitudes and may require structural and system-level interventions.

Exploring bike-commuter habits through data physicalisation engagement

ABSTRACT Engagement with real-time GPS data presents an obvious avenue towards behaviour change for sustainable mobility choices, as tracking human activity patterns becomes more ubiquitous. However, tracking data in visual form does not invite the quality of engagement that data physicalisations afford. In this blended method experiment, we study bike-commuter habits by combining data tracking, ethnographic studies and data physicalisation. We invited 12 everyday bicycle commuters to track their mobility patterns through an app, to be video shadowed on their daily commute and finally to engage in workshops with different data physicalisations based on the personal mobility data collected. We employ an analytic framework to indicate how the participant engagements match the theories of Flow State, Play Moods and Small Beginnings. The results of the study show that there is a potential for engaging local communities in reflecting on their day-to-day mobility choices through active engagement with data physicalisations. We also suggest that the framework can be used to develop facilitation practices to further enhance data physicalisation engagement and deepen insights.

Enhancing understanding of broad-based pedagogical leadership in Finnish early childhood education through cultural artifacts

This ethnographic case study examines the artifacts of the leadership culture of one Finnish early childhood education (ECE) center and how they appear from the perspective of broad-based pedagogical leadership. Qualitative content analysis with a directed approach was guided by Pasquale Gagliardi’s and Mary Hatch’s definitions of artifacts. In addition, artifacts were analyzed through broad-based pedagogical leadership. Based on the analysis, thirteen activities, six verbal expressions, and thirteen objects of leadership culture were found in the data. Most of the artifacts were indirect pedagogical leadership, and some had several purposes due to staff interpretations. The interpretations varied both between the leaders and the staff but also within the staff. The findings indicate that symbolic leadership is present in many leadership situations and that a lack of knowledge about the symbolic and cultural dimensions of leadership can undermine leaders’ good intentions. The results of the study can be utilized in practical work in leading organizational cultures and in structuring pedagogical leadership in ECE. Additionally, the research has theoretical implications by enriching leadership research in ECE and enhancing the concept of broad-based pedagogical leadership, which can be used in leadership training programs in the field of education.

Jewish-Muslim Friendship Networks: A Study of Intergenerational Boundary Work in Postwar Germany

Abstract This article presents a little-known story of Jewish-Muslim coexistence in Germany after World War Two. Using an ethnographic case study of Frankfurt am Main’s train-station district (Bahnhofsviertel), the analysis investigates long-term and partially forgotten Jewish-Muslim narratives, relations, and neighborhood encounters, paying particular attention to the changing political, spatial, and temporal dimensions that have blurred or closed symbolic boundaries between Jews and Muslims since the late 1960s. Bringing together the scholarship on symbolic boundaries and urban diversity, the theoretical discussion contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the variegated processes of Jewish-Muslim boundary-making and un-making over time, as well as the macro- and micro-level influences which shape these negotiations and outcomes. Studying Jewish-Muslim relations at the neighborhood level by adopting a boundary-related approach brings out more clearly the tensions over groupism and fluidity in theoretical debates and removes the current exceptionalism around Jewish-Muslim themes, making them more easily compared with other boundary processes within everyday life.

Research Buddy—From a Framework for Overcoming Language Barriers to the Development of a Qualitative Citizen Science Platform

Abstract Students benefit from international study programmes in fields such as HCI. However, user-centred research in a foreign country has some challenges, especially language hurdles when going into the field and conducting ethnographic and participatory studies. A particular obstacle is added when targeting groups that do not speak English, such as in Germany, where English was not taught in schools until the 1970s. The task and challenge of the present project, ‘Research Buddy’, is to bring together young international students and older people as co-researchers in Germany. We describe the participatory development of the concept of a matching platform and its design. In focus groups with older people, university faculty and students, requirements for a collaborative research infrastructure were jointly identified and prototypically implemented. The empirical results focus on the possibilities the platform offers for qualitative citizen science in the field of age tech.

Understanding the Integration of Building Energy Modeling into the Building Design Process: Insights from Two Collaborative Construction Projects

This research investigates the integration of building energy modeling (BEM) within collaborative construction projects to inform design decisions for achieving high-energy performance goals. The study aims to understand current practices, benefits, and challenges associated with this integration. Using an ethnographic case study approach focused on two high-energy performance social housing projects with integrated project delivery and integrated design processes, data were collected through direct observations, document analysis, and interviews with project team members. Design process modeling was utilized to dissect current practices, followed by a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic analysis to find challenges related to energy performance design in collaborative projects. Findings from this research revealed that BEM experts often operate in isolation, with late integration of energy models into design decisions. Compliance-centric BEM usage and challenges related to interoperability of design and BEM tools further compound the issue of seamless collaboration. However, the study highlights that early collaboration among project stakeholders emerges as a pivotal factor in informed design decisions, bridging the gap between energy modeling and design. This research provides valuable insights for practitioners seeking to optimize BEM in their design process, and offers support to policymakers aiming to enhance the role of BEM in projects.

An Ethnographic Study of Chinese Business Expatriates in Tanzania

This ethnographic study investigates the motivations and experiences of Chinese business expatriates in Tanzania, focusing on their life management, language proficiency, and engagement with petty corruption. Chinese expatriates’ motivation for expatriation is often pragmatic, prioritizing family-oriented well-being over individual well-being. Language proficiency is shown to mediate power dynamics and reduce information asymmetry, while petty corruption is a strategic investment to navigate bureaucracy and secure benefits, despite an imbalance in reciprocity. This study enhances our understanding of the cross-cultural experiences of Chinese expatriates in Tanzania and offers valuable insights for effective International Human Resource Management (IHRM) practices.

Understanding Consumer Beliefs and Choices Related to Food Safety: A Qualitative Study in Urban Ethiopia.

Provide an in-depth examination of consumers' food safety beliefs and practices to draw implications for interventions to improve nutrition and food safety in Ethiopia. Adapted Focused Ethnographic Study approach using in-person semi-structured interviews and free-listing exercises, in two iterative phases. A traditional food market in Hawassa, a mid-sized city. Forty-six market shoppers, selected randomly in line with quotas for age and gender. Consumers did not clearly differentiate between quality and safety, seeing them through connected concepts such as 'freshness'. While most respondents had some understanding of the causes of unsafe food, they did not generally worry about becoming ill themselves and felt food safety risks were easily mitigated through in-home behaviors. Thus, food safety practices were not a main motivator of market or vendor choice. There was no evidence that food safety concerns led consumers to prefer packaged, processed food or to avoid consuming fresh foods.Discussion: The study offers novel depth and detail on a topic of strong policy relevance. While building on an encouraging base of understanding of food safety, there remains considerable scope for increasing knowledge, particularly with regards to the need to procure safe food as opposed to expecting household-level practices to mitigate all safety risks. Motivating customers to give food safety factors more consideration when making food purchasing decisions, such as by leveraging emotion-based communication from trusted messengers to elevate the issue's salience in their minds, may contribute to improvements in food safety in low-income countries such as Ethiopia.

The seawall helps but—: using “material registers” to understand coastal infrastructure for disaster risk management in an island community

PurposeThis paper contributes to discourse about complex disasters by applying cultural lenses to the study of coastal infrastructure (such as seawalls and dikes), thus departing from studies that focus on characterising, assessing, and predicting the physical resilience of hard structural forms that dominate knowledge about coastal infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachThis ethnographic study nuances Philippine coastal infrastructure through examining the material registers of a seawall bordering an island inhabited by artisanal fisherfolk. By “material registers”, this research refers to the socially informed ways of regarding and constructing material configurations and how the latter are enacted and resisted. Data collection was accomplished through focus groups with community leaders, on-site and remote interviews with homeowners, and archival research to further understand the spatial and policy context of the structure.FindingsThe discussion focuses on the seawall’s three material registers (protection, fragility, and misrecognition) and reveals how infrastructure built for an island community of fisherfolk simultaneously fulfils, fails, and complicates the promise of disaster resilience.Research limitations/implicationsThis research demonstrates the potential of “material registers”, a term previously used to analyse architecture and housing, to understand the technopolitics of infrastructure and how materially informed tensions between homeowners' and state notions of infrastructure contribute to protracted experiences of disaster and coastal maladaptation.Practical implicationsThis research signposts the need for disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and sustainable development policies that legitimize the construction of infrastructure to recognize the latter's relationship and impact on multiple sphere of coastal life, including housing and citizenship implications.Social implicationsThis research highlights how infrastructure for coastal disaster risk management implicates geographically informed power relations within a community fisherfolk and between their “small” island community and more politically and economically dominant groups.Originality/valueWhereas studies of coastal infrastructure are focused on quantitative and predictive research regarding hard structural forms in megacities, this study apprehends disaster complexity through examining the cultural and contested nature of infrastructure for coastal flood management in an island community of fisherfolk.