Technology and Technique in a Useful Ethnography of Movement

Abstract

Ethnographers have always had to be concerned with the movements of their informants, and this article identifies the continuing importance of bodily technique and skill in fieldwork from a mobilities perspective. It develops an approach to technology and technique from Marcel Mauss to consider the relationship between ethnography as a technological enterprise and as a set of bodily skills. Evidence is presented on technology as ‘gear’ amongst hill‐walkers in north east Scotland, many of whom adhere to a ‘low‐tech’ aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from them, the suggestion is made that ethnographers should be cautious of adopting ‘high‐tech’ tools for their research. Examples of GPS (Global Positioning System) use amongst the hill‐walkers and in cases from the literature illustrate these themes. Finally, the article argues that making the techniques of ethnographic research more broadly known might have the advantage of making the results more useable and accessible.

Key Words:

• Ethnography
• technology
• technique
• walking
• Scotland

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the walkers who helped with this research. I also thank the editors of this special section, the participants of the Limerick ‘Mobility and Nomadicity: Methodological Challenges and Innovations’ seminar, and the anonymous referees for their insightful comments on previous versions of the paper. Funding for part of the field research was provided by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (RES‐000‐23‐0312). Funding for ‘Designing Environments for Life’ came from the Scottish Universities Insight Institute, while the rivers fieldwork is a collaboration with Rebecca Wade, Abertay University, funded by the Scottish Crucible.