The ontological strangeness of ethnography - a reflexive approach of an immersion in an ecovillage

L’étrangeté ontologique de l’ethnographie - regard réflexif sur une immersion dans un écovillage

Dorian Marchais ()
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Dorian Marchais: CRIEG - Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Economie Gestion - MSH-URCA - Maison des Sciences Humaines de Champagne-Ardenne - URCA - Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, REGARDS - Recherches en Economie Gestion Agroressources Durabilité et Santé - CRIEG - Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Economie Gestion - MSH-URCA - Maison des Sciences Humaines de Champagne-Ardenne - URCA - Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

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Abstract: While ethnography is valued as a method for revealing the cultural meanings of consumer practices, particularly in CCT, it is rarely questioned for the discomfort and even less for the "ontological strangeness" it can arouse in the researcher. This article takes a reflective look at the limits of ethnography, based on an immersion experience in a French ecovillage. As the ecovillage studied adopted a radical lifestyle grounded in animist values that placed respect for living beings (human and non-human) and the sharing of resources above conventional norms of hygiene and safety, the immersion proved to be dissonant with the researcher's practices and ontological conception of living together, resulting in a sensory, bodily and existential (ontological) unease. The article sheds light on the ontological incompatibilities an ethnographer may experience, paving the way for a broader reflection on the limits of ethnographic immersion and the value of promoting an "ethic of ontological adjustment".

Keywords: ontology; ecological community; ecovillage; ethnography; ethnographie; écovillage; communauté écologique; Ontologie (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11-13
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme
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Published in Journées Normandes de Recherche sur la Consommation, Nov 2025, Caen, France

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