Methodological Adaptations and Virtual Ethnography in a Research on Psychosocial Professionals in Justice: The Challenges of Learning by Doing

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes an experience of methodological adaptation, implemented in a research study carried out in the midst of a health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of our study was to analyze the interactions between psychosocial and legal professionals in justice institutions in two Chilean regions, using a face-to-face and in situ ethnographic methodological design. However, as a result of the change in working conditions brought about by the restrictions on people’s mobility and presence in these environments, we found it necessary to evaluate how to continue the ethnographic work under these limitations. Through constant reflection and analysis of our experiences in implementing this research, we designed a virtual ethnography that addressed both synchronous and asynchronous instances. We conclude that the use of virtual methodologies renders the rapport with the informants fundamental for the dialectic reconstruction of the story, where, as suggested by Tim Ingold, field notes are a key factor to build the atmosphere. We also highlight the importance of making methodological instruments more flexible and of constantly considering ways of adapting them to contexts of restricted on-site and face-to-face access. Finally, this article contributes to discussions on virtual ethnographies insofar as it presents a possibility to discover new ways of conducting ethnography in multisite contexts and in crisis. Many of these, we believe, will remain and will be an integral part of research work. © 2022, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota Colombia. All rights reserved.