Post-ethnography

In contemporary anthropology, post-ethnography is a valuable tool for transmitting knowledge, that does not just favor the classical written form of the monograph, but rather a combination of different methods and techniques. It offers a creative space for anthropologists to share their findings with the world through combining the arts with analog or digital ethnography.

Data-Stories for Post-Ethnography

Penelope Papailias

With her article Data-Stories for Post-Ethnography, Papailias offers a great explanation of multimodality, as well as how art and actisivism can be integrated into the discipline of anthropology. Moreover, she serves various detailed examples of ways to experiment with ethnography and demonstrates how this promotes a transition towards public anthropology.

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Science fiction as an alternative to classic ethnography?

Ever since the crisis of representation, Anthropology has been seeking for new, experimental ways of disseminating anthropological findings. Recently, a very specific genre has entered its way into the discipline, namely science fiction. There is currently a lot of debate going on, on wether sci-fi can contribute to social scientific research or perhaps even replace ethnography as a whole. It looks like the discussion will remain an ongoing one, as people's opinions strongly part on how fictional movies or texts can improve social and cultural understanding.

Risks of science Fiction in ethnography

Fictional forms show an overdramatic reality, rather than a realistic, existing one. It can thus be problematic for the audience to separate between what is real and what not.
Besides, fiction can't fully replace the ethnographic monograph, as it does not present a contemporary or scientific truth, but rather an entertaining fantasy.
It does not teach us anything about an existing culture or society, nor does it provide any empirical data, as well as new theories.
If sci-fi were to take over the monograph and become the preferred genre in anthropology, the discipline would run the threat of not being taken seriously. Its scientific value would be jeopardised, as facts would be bended for entertaining purposes, rather than be presented as they are.

contributions of science fiction

Many people find pleasure in reading fiction, it can thus be helpful to use this form in order to attract a greater audience and promote a shift towards public anthropology. In addition, it is more likely to be engaged in a discussion with the general public, as it is more accessible and easier to follow, than an academic monograph.
The fact that science fiction describes an exaggerated reality and contemporary issues, can be eye-opening. It can evoke strong feelings, as well as realization of present problems or phenomena and show people that we as humans need to change our behaviour to prevent this fiction from actually happening.
Additionally, it speculates about the possible future of humanity, giving rise to and acknowledging speculative anthropology.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to sympathise with what one doesn't fully comprehend. Fictional movies and books can facilitate this process, as they put strong emphasis on character's feelings, senses and perceptions. They represent the "other" and the unknown just as much, as ethnography does.
Moreover, these kinds of movies or books allow for the author to convey a point that could relate to some controversial subjects in public debates, that might polarize the audience in other contexts, and could, by using fiction, draw some possible points of reflection. Through a scenario that doesn't really reflect people's actual daily lives, one can obtain a new perspective and apply it to the real world.

How can we integrate new forms such as sci-fi into anthropology, without running the above mentioned risks?

In order to avoid the potential pitfalls, it is important to recognise the classic form of the ethnographic monograph. A solution would be to combine different methods and genres with this monograph, as it can gather more people's interest in certain topics, without losing sight of what is actually going on. Another possible alternative for fictional modes, are documentaries, as they tend to bend reality less than science-fiction does. However, the answer to the issues arising through fiction, also lie within the audience. It is the reader's/viewer's task to think critically about what he sees or reads and to not just blindly accept any claims.

Examples of science fiction that could enhance anthropological understanding

The left hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

IO last on earth

Jonathan Helpert

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Children of men

Alfonso Cuarón

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how fiction can be compared to ethnography

Although it does not seem like it at first glance, anthropology and fiction actually have a lot in common. One offers thick descriptions of characters, context and lifeworlds, just as much as the other does. They tell a story and cover the same topics. Both ethnography and fabricated stories make a distinction between the "other" and the "self", the unknown and the familiar, all the while raising important questions. Ursula K. Le Guins The Left Hand of Darkness offers a valid illustration of this point. In her novel she describes a different world, mainly from the view of an outsider who shows a lot of similarities with an anthropologist studying another culture. This unfamiliar society does not make use of a binary gender system, leading the narrator to question his own understanding of gender. There is a great resemblance between what the storyteller and the etnnographer during fieldwork have to undergo. It demonstrates the difficulty to grasp and comprehend otherness and it denotes how beliefs can be confronted with totally different ones.

"My father studied real cultures and I make them up- in a way, it's the same thing"

-Ursula K. Le Guin

"We live in a world of imagination. [...] We looked at a lot of these fictional worlds and we realized, if they just understood a little bit about cultural systems, a little bit about how difference works, then maybe the stories told in the future can be even better and our imagination can run wild and maybe we can solve more problems in the world because we're thinking with our imagination in a better way."

-Michael Kilman

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