Renewal of ethnography in the time of the covid-19 crisis

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis of anthropological research has occurred that requires both methodological and epistemological considerations. The basic tool of anthropology is field research based on participant observation in situ and in close contact with people. However, during the pandemic, it has become almost impossible to conduct research in this way, as distancing and self-isolation are required. During the crisis, anthropologists have mostly stayed at home and have had to find new approaches to studying ways of life, including the use of digital methods. This article presents examples of such remote and technology-enabled ethnographic research. It illustrates the theoretical premises with the results from various research projects that have used remote ethnography, and complements them with the author’s reflections on anthropological work and daily life, written as an online blog during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which he outlined how he interacted with people via digital devices.