Fieldwork in Political Theory: Five Arguments for an Ethnographic Sensibility

This article makes a positive case for an ethnographic sensibility in political theory. Drawing on published ethnographies and original fieldwork, it argues that an ethnographic sensibility can contribute to normative reflection in five distinct ways. It can help uncover the nature of situated norma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of political science 2019-04, Vol.49 (2), p.763-784
Main Authors: Herzog, Lisa, Zacka, Bernardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Bias
Ethnography
Field study
Fieldwork
Morality
Ontology
Particularism
Philosophers
Philosophy
Political philosophy
Political science
Political theory
Research methodology
Valuation
Values
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Summary:This article makes a positive case for an ethnographic sensibility in political theory. Drawing on published ethnographies and original fieldwork, it argues that an ethnographic sensibility can contribute to normative reflection in five distinct ways. It can help uncover the nature of situated normative demands (epistemic argument); diagnose obstacles encountered when responding to these demands (diagnostic argument); evaluate practices and institutions against a given set of values (evaluative argument); probe, question and refine our understanding of values (valuational argument); and uncover underlying social ontologies (ontological argument). The contribution of ethnography to normative theory is distinguished from that of other forms of empirical research, and the dangers of perspectival absorption, bias and particularism are addressed.
ISSN:0007-1234
1469-2112
DOI:10.1017/S0007123416000703