Multimodal Ethnography in an Authoritarian Age

Abstract (English)

Ethnography, as a method and a genre, has long been rooted in immersive engagement, requiring scholars to navigate complexly contested terrains. But what happens when the very conditions that make ethnographic work possible—access, dialogue, and critical interrogation—are eroded? In an era where state authoritarianism is growing in the so-called liberal Western democracies, ethnographers working with marginalized communities across regions must contend with the racist suppression of the concerns and stakes of the communities they engage with. In this climate of widespread repression, multimodal ethnography—spanning graphic texts, film, and case studies—promises to open up new avenues for research, allowing scholars to engage broader publics while challenging the authority of received modes of knowledge. This panel aims to explore how such multimodal ethnographic research can operate in a climate where authoritarianism seeks to delimit inquiry and erase histories of marginalization. How do scholars adapt when public engagement aimed at having a broader impact is itself seen as subversive? What role can multimodality play in resisting racist and authoritarian pressures that is different from conventional anthropology centered on scholarly articles and monographs?