Poetic encounters in field work

• In this paper, we seek to belong to the “writing differently” turn in organization studies. We argue that writing poetry when doing field work is a way of disrupting and unsettling the objective scientific gaze, the scientific ideal of experiencing the world, and of opening for the Buberian world—the world as an encounter in itself. A tension framed by Buber as I-It and I-You. Rather than merely arguing that poetry can help us understand the world differently, we argue that poetry can help us encounter the world differently. Further, by telling two field work stories, we show that poetry can help the researcher to remain human in the field. Having hope in writing poetry when doing field work transcends the more politically and individually oriented engaged ethnography, realizing that field work as encounter—I and You—holds the possibility of not only companionship, trust, mercy, cooperation, forming of joint causes, dreams but also betrayal, plundering, exploitation, and force.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Litteraturvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- General Literary Studies (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

ethnography

field work

Martin Buber

poetry

writing differently

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)