Patchwork ethnography is about “allowing yourself to work and learn and flow alongside people in the field.”
Maja Jeranko
12 August 2021
Published: 04 February 2022
Image by Maja Jeranko.
Maja Jeranko started fieldwork in January 2020, studying post-disaster reconstruction processes as a form of life in a small fishing village in Ecuador. At the onset of the pandemic, she left and returned to the field multiple times in a more fragmented temporality than what she had ever expected. She let go of her prior conceptions of “Methods” and just let herself be present among interlocutors, following emergent methodological approaches as they became appropriate. Not only did this allow unexpected layers of her analysis to surface, but leaving and coming back deepened her relationships. She was able to build solidarity and friendships through care practices that did not have the opportunity to emerge prior to the pandemic. The Patchwork Ethnography Manifesto was validating with regard to this fragmented approach, and it alleviated some of the pressure she felt to stay for twelve consecutive months. Patchwork encourages one to be open to the different possible relationships that can be built by coming and going. Yet, this process of adjusting preconceived methods was difficult and emotionally heavy for her. As an anthropology student, Maja felt she was supposed to have a better grasp of such situations–she studies disasters, after all. But early on she was frequently scared, confused, and alone, and this was hard to admit. Patchwork ethnography is thus also important for building a community of ethnographers who support each other, and where people can be honest about what they’re going through, particularly in a time of crisis. There is so much pressure to establish oneself as a student and prove toughness, and not enough open conversation about mental health in the field. It took time and much unlearning for her to understand that if the road has collapsed because of the rain, you don’t have to go climb over it, but can follow other routes instead.
Maja Jeranko is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. mjeranko[at]live.unc.edu / @JerankoMaja