Introducing “navigating failure in ethnography”: a forum about failure in ethnographic research

Abstract

Purpose

The authors introduce a recurrent section for the Journal of Organizational Ethnography which scrutinizes the various manifestations and roles of failure in ethnographic research.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors peruse a wide body of literature which tackles the role of failure in ethnographic research and draw on the experiences to argue for a more sustained and in-depth conversation on the topic.

Findings

“Failure” regularly occurs in ethnographic research, yet remains under-examined. Increased discussion on the topic will enrich debates on methodology and fieldwork in particular.

Originality/value

While various scholars have commented on the role of “failure” in ethnographic research, an in-depth and sustained examination of the topic is lacking.

Citation

Verbuyst, R. and Galazka, A.M. (2023), "Introducing “navigating failure in ethnography”: a forum about failure in ethnographic research", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOE-10-2022-0027