Affective Ethnography. On Exploring Atmospheres of the Exclusive During the Pandemic

Abstract

Qualitative social research has faced challenges as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the implications of which have been much debated. My ethnographic project, in which I focus on clubs and associations that are to be understood as exclusive due to access restrictions, also changed during the pandemic. For instance, unexpected dimensions became relevant, such as the importance of vulnerabilities in fieldwork. In particular, a basic condition of field research became apparent that is often addressed but rarely systematically included: the affective-bodily entanglement of the researcher and the field. To discuss this, I contrast a participant observation in a digital setting with a face-to-face research situation.

The concept of atmosphere simultaneously serves as an object and an analytical tool. On the one hand, engaging with the atmospheric promises important insights into my field: the atmospheres of the exclusive. On the other hand, the question of atmosphere brings my position as an ethnographer into focus and makes it possible to analyze it in a specific way. The understanding of my own feelings and affective-bodily sensations during the field research does not only serve the self-reflection for a good scientific practice, but also gives information about the field as a further source of data. In this way, new insights can be gained that extend beyond the specific conditions of the pandemic.