Exploring Hybrid Ethnography with Liz Przybylski
Dr. Liz Przybylski was thinking ahead when she wrote Hybrid Ethnography: Online, Offline, and In Between. They unwittingly predicted that we would look at our lives, as well as our research, quite differently given the widespread impact of the global pandemic. The book was published in 2020, just when researchers were coming to terms with the fact that research as usual was not going to be possible. Now, over a year later, we still find ourselves having to think about how and where we can do research without putting ourselves or participants at risk.
That said, this book is much more than a guide to using technology to conduct ethnographic research. As the description states, it “provides researchers with concrete and theory-based processes to combine online and offline research methods to tell the story of how and why people are interacting with expressive culture.” Again, this is powerfully apropos given that many of us have been compelled to be more actively engaged with “expressive culture” online. How can ethnographers study the lived experience that jumps from smartphone to tablet to face-to-face to laptop, and back again?
The book builds on solid theoretical and methodological foundations, and their advice about addressing ethical dilemmas and preparing for ethics review will be greatly appreciated by readers preparing research proposals. See her related Sage Research Methods Community post, “Ethics & Ethnography.”
In this video interview, Liz gives valuable background about the book and offers practical suggestions.
