WHEN THE FIELD DOES NOT YET EXIST: ENDING GAZE, RECORDING, AND WRITING IN ETHNOGRAPHY

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on the construction of ethnographic research objects, arguing that a sustained gaze is a condition for the field to be formed and to become legible. Its theoretical grounding brings into dialogue postmodern ethnography, critiques of the transparency of writing, and Bruner’s figure of the ethnographer-as-tourist. Methodologically, it is an essay that combines narrative, metaphor, and a literature review to reframe the notions of field, record, and writing. The argument advanced is that to observe is to compose; that rigor lies in the clarity of the research trajectory; and that connective fields encompass virtual environments, taking into account traces, silences, and instabilities. The article concludes that research requires attention to the ordinary, a clear distinction between what is accessible and what is ethical, careful writing, and responsibility, while preserving the pleasurable dimension of learning to see in everyday school life.