Ethnography of the ephemeral: studying temporary scenes through individual and collective approaches

Abstract

Ethnographic research is an iterative process in which layers of knowledge gradually accumulate as we spend time in a setting. The information that presents itself most immediately may be fascinating, but is rarely the type of truth that distinguishes good scholarship. How, then, do we come to understand settings and interactions that are of short durations, where our first-hand observations may be limited to a few hours or days? I present three challenges associated with studying short-term events, and potential solutions to each: gaining entrée and finding a productive position from which to observe the scene; the hazards posed by immediately available informants and pre-existing roles; and finally the effect of short, intense field seasons on the refinement of research questions and analysis of data. Insights are drawn from an independent, multi-year study on county fairs, and a collaborative study of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada Á a four-day event that draws over 100,000 attendees. Concluding remarks contrast the two approaches and reflect on lessons learned from each.

Capturing complexity in the evaluation of a major area-based initiative in community empowerment: what can a multi-site, multi team, ethnographic approach offer?

“…This brings with it a commitment to the generation of rich contextual data and identifying and tracking the intricate processes and relationships through which 'particular events, practices and things' interact and take shape and become meaningful and important within a given context (Harstrup 2004). These deeper meanings are usually revealed through multiple observations over a period of time, although some contemporary ethnography may focus on engagement with more ephemeral events via the accounts of key informants with whom they have built up trust and rapport (Paulsen 2009). The express aim of ethnography nevertheless is to build complicated pictures of patterns of many interacting things (Agar 2004).…”

LGBT Pride as a Cultural Protest Tactic in a Southern City

“…My study is an “ethnography of the ephemeral” (Paulsen 2009, 509) because unlike traditional ethnographies that involve months and even years of observation in the field, the phenomenon that I researched lasted only six hours. With this short time period, my major challenge was to go beyond my first impressions to compose a thick description based on participants’ own meanings (Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw 1995; Geertz 1973).…”

Instructions for God’s Gift: Emotional Management in the Cultural Transmission of Evangelical Sexuality

“…Ethnographic research as “the study of groups and people as they go about their everyday lives” (Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw 1995, 1) has generally been distinguished by sustained and lengthy time spent in the field to allow researchers to obtain a deep understanding of locals’ own meaning (Paulsen 2009). Yet, this approach to ethnography often presupposes a longevity of the intended object of sociological observation.…”

“…Yet, this approach to ethnography often presupposes a longevity of the intended object of sociological observation. The problem as Paulsen (2009, 510) notes in her call for a “ethnography of the ephemeral” is that “many socially important institutions, scenes and events are of limited duration.” Premarital counseling represents both a sustained practice within certain communities and a brief experience for the couples that participate in it. Rather than treat the religious organizations as the unit of my analysis, I approached my research as an ethnography of a practice .…”