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Drawing on the example of a research project on the extension of the margins of the global agricultural market through the workings of agribusiness in Ghana, this paper explores what contribution ethnographic approaches can make to the study of quotidian market constructions in organizational settings. It demonstrates how ethnographies of marketization can be grasped conceptually, epistemologically and methodologically, as well as what practical and methodological challenges such a practice-oriented approach towards the everyday organization of markets might encounter. By doing so, the paper offers a methodological contribution to the interdisciplinary field of marketization studies. Moreover, this paper urges economic geographers to further harness the epistemological potential of ethnographic approaches.
The aim of this article is to show the difference between an interpretative-hermeneutic ethnographic approach deeply embedded in the history of anthropology and ethnographic methods introduced as part of a social science repertoire. Taking the classical "network" as an example, it contrasts the way this concept is generally used in studies on translocal mobility with interpretations of ethnographic research. This not only opens up critical reflections on the role of "networks" when it comes to understanding translocality as a lived experience, but also illustrates what it actually means to follow an interpretative-hermeneutic approach in which ethnographic material is seen to serve as a way to ground, question and refine abstract concepts. The article thus argues that it is through ethnographies and their inherent openness towards the field that a more enriching and creative engagement with theories and methodologies can be achieved than qualitative social science approaches usually allow for.
IFLS-Journal. Nr. 17, 2012
(2012)