Collaborative reflexive inquiry into parliaments: Ethnographers negotiating during research on politics

Bernardes, Cristiane; Cornwall, Andrea; Crewe, Emma; Hoyler, Telma

Abstract

In August 2022, a group of four ethnographers assembled in São Paulo to undertake a collaborative inquiry with politicians, each with their own different identities, positions of power, rhythms of work and sensibilities. By researching as a team, we benefitted from (1) a larger range of contacts, networks and tactics to gain access; (2) continual critical debate before and after encounters; (3) a more expansive imagination to fathom what happens in political (including postcolonial) meetings between our own habitus and that of our interlocutors and (4) varied improvised practical judgements to gain a sense of proportion, learn from plural audiences and navigate ethical challenges. In the collective field note-taking and discussions between the four of us about our encounters, we brought different knowledge into our interpretative narratives – writing with the authority of a polyphonic group as a temporary single voice. It was uncomfortable at times, but what felt like a loss in the short-term usually became a gain in the longer term. Working as a group enabled a more rigorous way of handling what has been called a crisis of representation because there was a shared commitment to recognizing complexity, respecting each other’s knowledge and being prepared for intense negotiation.

Citation

Bernardes, C., Cornwall, A., Crewe, E., & Hoyler, T. (2025). Collaborative reflexive inquiry into parliaments: Ethnographers negotiating during research on politics. In J. Chibois, & S. Shapiro (Eds.), Fieldwork in centres of power, a longitudinal perspective. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003356349-12

• Acceptance Date: Jan 27, 2023
• Publication Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 24, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 12, 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Series Title: Routledge Studies in Fieldwork and Ethnographic Research
• Book Title: Fieldwork in centres of power, a longitudinal perspective
• ISBN: 9781032372402
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003356349-12
• Keywords: Collaborative ethnography, fieldwork, parliaments