Life-World-Analytical Ethnography
Anne Honer, Ronald Hitzler
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography October 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1177/0891241615588589 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that life-world-analytical ethnography rests on the premise that any world not apprehended as a life-world—the totality of subjectively experienced reality—is a fiction, because no knowledge exists of a world that is not subjectively experienced. Contends that while investigating one's own life-world is already difficult, investigating other actors' life-worlds demands numerous additional precautions and measures, which the article sets out to discuss. |
Abstract
Life-world-analytical ethnography aims to investigate the subjective perspective—the life-worlds—of other people. Life-world-analytical ethnography is based on the premise that any world which is not apprehended as a life-world—that is, as the totality of a world that is subjectively experienced—is a fiction. For we do not, in fact, have any knowledge of a world that is not subjectively experienced—of the world per se, as it were. The investigation of one’s own life-world is a difficult program in itself, a program that mundane phenomenology, in particular, endeavors to pursue. However, the investigation of the life-worlds of other actors calls for numerous additional precautions and measures. This article discusses the origins and foundations as well as particular challenges of life-world-analytical ethnography.