Ethnographies of social enterprise

Mauksch, Stefanie; Dey, Pascal; Rowe, Mike; Teasdale, Simon (2017). Ethnographies of social enterprise Social Enterprise Journal, 13(2), pp. 114-127. Emerald Publishing Limited https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-03-2017-0019

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Purpose – As a critical and intimate form of inquiry, ethnography remains close to lived realities and equips scholars with a unique methodological angle on social phenomena. This paper aims to explore the potential gains from an increased use of ethnography in social enterprise studies. Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop the argument through a set of dualistic themes, namely, the socio-economic dichotomy and the discourse/practice divide as predominant critical lenses through which social enterprise is currently examined, and suggest shifts from visible leaders to invisible collectives and from case study-based monologues to dialogic ethnography. Findings – Ethnography sheds new light on at least four neglected aspects. Studying social enterprises ethnographically complicates simple reductions to socio-economic tensions, by enriching the set of differences through which practitioners make sense of their work-world. Ethnography provides a tool for unravelling how practitioners engage with discourse(s) of power, thus marking the concrete results of intervention (to some degree at least) as unplannable, and yet effective. Ethnographic examples signal the merits of moving beyond leaders towards more collective representations and in-depth accounts of (self-)development. Reflexive ethnographies demonstrate the heuristic value of accepting the self as an inevitable part of research and exemplify insights won through a thoroughly bodily and emotional commitment to sharing the life world of others. Originality/value – The present volume collects original ethnographic research of social enterprises. The editorial develops the first consistent account of the merits of studying social enterprises ethnographically.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	Business School > Institute for Innovation and Strategic Entrepreneurship > Low-end Innovation
Name:	Mauksch, Stefanie; Dey, Pascal0000-0003-2792-0061; Rowe, Mike and Teasdale, Simon
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
ISSN:	1750-8614
Publisher:	Emerald Publishing Limited
Language:	English
Submitter:	Pascal Dey
Date Deposited:	27 Oct 2020 10:31
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2023 21:46
Publisher DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-03-2017-0019
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Ethnography,Literaturereview,Socialenterprise
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.13094
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/13094