Immersion in the bureaucratic field: Methodological pathways

Abstract

The introduction argues that while the legitimacy of bureaucracy as an object of inquiry is well established, little is generally said on the methodologies mobilized by ethnographers to study the bureaucratic field. The special issue is a contribution to fill this gap. The authors characterize bureaucracy as a mode of control by way of four dimensions—service, rule, violence, and secrecy—and propose three methodological pathways through which ethnographers may immerse in the bureaucratic field. The first pathway, “stages,” is concerned with the methodological reflections on accessing the bureaucratic stage and of being led in by bureaucrats as they perform their stage work. The second focuses on “techniques” and considers the implications of immersing oneself in a distinct technical landscape. The third pathway concerns the ethnographer’s positionality, drawing attention to the deep reflexivity and unstable ethics of bureaucracy ethnography. The authors invite bureaucracy ethnographers to pursue these pathways and to engage in a critical reflection on their fieldwork practices.

Producing Kartinka: Street-Level Bureaucracy and Implementation of Russia’s Tolerance Policy in St. Petersburg

“…Studies of the ethnography of bureaucracy claim that, due to the closed nature of the field, getting access is often more important than getting informed consent, and this is a legitimate ethical position. A brief discussion of various approaches to finding the way into the bureaucratic field can be found in Hahonou and Martin (2019, 11): “bureaucratic ethnography should be situated along a continuum between full overt and fully covert research, and the study of secretive organizations … is often only possible through partially covert participant observation.” On entering the field, I explained that I was a postgraduate student and that I wished to join the department as an intern, as my academic interests lay in the area of nationalities and tolerance policies. I never concealed my organizational affiliation or my goals.…”

Surveillance, Radicalization, and Prison Change Self-Analysis of an Ethnographic Survey Under Tension

“…Against a singularly intense backdrop of an anti-terrorism campaign that is emotive and politicized, this second section illustrates the challenges raised by any ethnographic research in prison. It also discusses three "methodological pathways": "stages," "techniques," and "positionality" (Hahonou and Martin 2019) that organize the work and the ethnographic reflection.…”

Burocracia, criatividade e discernimento: lições de uma cafeteira desaparecida

“…Além de outras referências já citadas, uma excelente discussão da literatura em língua inglesa pode ser consultada em Hoag & Hull (2017). Em dossiê recente, Hahonou & Martin (2019) artigo | Ciméa Barbato Bevilaqua | Burocracia, criatividade e discernimento:lições de uma cafeteira desaparecida instituição pública; ou a partir de "dentro", isto é, por iniciativa de alguma instância do próprio órgão em questão, para o cumprimento de dever legal ou atribuição institucional. Em qualquer caso, o documento inaugural (requerimento, ofício, formulário), acompanhado ou não de outros, só adquire o caráter de processo ao ser protocolado na instância oficial a que se dirige ou onde tem origem.…”