A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
Poly-space : Creating new concepts through reflexive team ethnography (2020)

Turunen, J., Čeginskas, V. L., Kaasik-Krogerus, S., Lähdesmäki, T., & Mäkinen, K. (2020). Poly-space : Creating new concepts through reflexive team ethnography. In T. Lähdesmäki, E. Koskinen-Koivisto, V. L. Čeginskas, & A.-K. Koistinen (Eds.), Challenges and Solutions in Ethnographic Research : Ethnography with a Twist (pp. 3-20). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429355608-1

JYU authors or editors

Turunen, Johanna
Ceginskas, Viktorija
Lähdesmäki, Tuuli
Mäkinen, Katja

Publication details

All authors or editors: Turunen, Johanna; Čeginskas, Viktorija L.A.; Kaasik-Krogerus, Sigrid; Lähdesmäki, Tuuli; Mäkinen, Katja

Parent publication: Challenges and Solutions in Ethnographic Research : Ethnography with a Twist

Parent publication editors: Lähdesmäki, Tuuli; Koskinen-Koivisto, Eerika; Čeginskas, Viktorija L.A.; Koistinen, Aino-Kaisa

ISBN: 978-0-367-37688-8

eISBN: 978-0-429-35560-8

Publication year: 2020

Pages range: 3-20

Number of pages in the book: 256

Publisher: Routledge

Place of Publication: Abingdon

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429355608-1

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access:

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/72191

Abstract

In this chapter, we outline the development process of the concept of poly-space – which conceptualizes the entanglement of multiple moments and different spatial, temporal, affective and cognitive experiences in one physical place, the heritage site. The concept was conceived based on the experiences that members of the EUROHERIT project gained while conducting ethnographic fieldwork at 11 heritage sites awarded with the European Heritage Label by the European Commission. We argue that collaborative interpretive reflexivity – a form of affective sharing among researchers that goes beyond traditional conceptualizations of team ethnography – was the key aspect contributing to and enabling our conceptual innovations. Additionally, we show that while ethnography forms a fruitful basis for generating new concepts, the concepts also contribute to ethnography. Through sharing our experiences and data, we mediated our experience of poly-space but also produced the sites as poly-space. Our oral communication, exchange of experiences and sharing of emotions made the sites inter-personal and filled them with emotional and affective meanings. This kind of deep knowledge enables new insights, but also challenges conventional notions of how we gain knowledge.

Keywords: cultural research; cultural heritage; cultural sites; research groups; field work; experiences (knowledge); reflection (cognitive processes); concepts (notions); meanings (semantics); ethnography