Phenomenology, by comparison: from ethnographic variation to experiential structure
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences June 18, 2026 Michael Schnegg, Julian Sommerschuh
Phenomenology and anthropology both study lived experience but have traditionally used different methods: phenomenology seeks universal structures of experience through imaginative variation, while anthropology documents cultural diversity through ethnography. This paper combines Husserlian eidetic analysis with Formal Concept Analysis to bring ethnographic material into the search for invariant experiential structures without flattening meaningful differences. The approach is demonstrated through a comparative analysis of bodily emanations across diverse cultural contexts, revealing forms of bodily extension that are under-theorized in dominant accounts of embodiment. The analysis shows how phenomenological comparison can yield empirically grounded and formally articulated insights into the embodied experiences of others.