Abstract
Truth and interpretation in ethnography (part 2): Discrepancies with marginalized
groups and uniformed professions
This essay is the second part of my contribution to an ongoing discussion
in KWALON on evidence and truth in ethnography. I stress that
ethnography is inferential and involves interpretation work, and in this
part specifically I shift the attention from the problems of truth about the
field to those in it. Using ethnographic material from Alice Goffman and
insights from studies of the uniformed services, I focus on the discrepancies
that result from secrecy and truth work. Relative, coherent and holistic
truths thus emerge in the field. These pose special challenges for writing
ethnography; deploying experience requires rhetorical strategies. The
emergent character of truth also entails scrutinizing the ‘facts of fieldwork’
and steering clear of the subjectivist and objectivist fallacies of empiricist
functionalism. I end the essay with three methodological tips, inviting
further research into how secrecy and truth work relate to domination
and resistance.
groups and uniformed professions
This essay is the second part of my contribution to an ongoing discussion
in KWALON on evidence and truth in ethnography. I stress that
ethnography is inferential and involves interpretation work, and in this
part specifically I shift the attention from the problems of truth about the
field to those in it. Using ethnographic material from Alice Goffman and
insights from studies of the uniformed services, I focus on the discrepancies
that result from secrecy and truth work. Relative, coherent and holistic
truths thus emerge in the field. These pose special challenges for writing
ethnography; deploying experience requires rhetorical strategies. The
emergent character of truth also entails scrutinizing the ‘facts of fieldwork’
and steering clear of the subjectivist and objectivist fallacies of empiricist
functionalism. I end the essay with three methodological tips, inviting
further research into how secrecy and truth work relate to domination
and resistance.
| Translated title of the contribution | Truth and interpretation in ethnography.: Discrepancies with marginalized groups and uniformed services |
|---|---|
| Original language | Dutch |
| Pages (from-to) | 6-25 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | KWALON |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2022 |
Keywords
- truth
- interpretation
- discrepancies
- ethnographic facts
- secrecy
- truth work