The salience of emotions in (auto) ethnography: Towards an analytical framework

Abstract

Ethnographic research methods have gained increased popularity within the field of organisation studies. Although autoethnography is also becoming increasingly common in contemporary research, many scholars in organisation studies (OS) still tend to conceal their personal feelings because emotional experiences are often perceived as too subjective and not ‘scientific enough’ for publication. The practice of ethnography in OS is here explored as emotionally embodied by drawing from various theories in the field of psychology. This chapter seeks to emphasise how emotions add an invaluable layer of meaning and understanding to the richness of ethnographic research, and argue that the researcher’s emotional experience should take its neglected place on the centre stage of ethnographic studies.