"I” The True Instrument: The Rhetorics of Ethnographic Research Practice in HCI

Open Access
- Author:
- Joshi, Tejaswini
- Graduate Program:
- Informatics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 10, 2025
- Committee Members:
- Dongwon Lee, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Kathleen Sexsmith, Outside Unit & Field Member
Jeffrey Bardzell, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Yubo Kou, Major Field Member
Priya Kumar, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- Human Computer Interaction
Ethnography
Theories and Methods
Humanistic Essay
Subjectivity
Qualitative Research Methods
Reflexive Research - Abstract:
- The title of the monograph, “I” the true Instrument is inspired by the quote – “No matter what tools you use to create, the true instrument is you” (Rubin 2023, 29). By that, Rubin emphasizes that when we take on any creative or intellectual work, whether it is playing music, or making art, or conducting and writing research- the guitar, the brush, and the pen or the document are merely the affordances that enable us to articulate our work. But the “true instrument”, the one that creates, envisions, imagines, and realizes the creative outcome, is us. Interpretive ethnographic research practice in HCI similarly highlights that the subjectivity of the ethnographic researcher is a necessary condition for knowledge production (Dourish 2006). The overarching objective of this monograph is to invite a conversation about this necessary condition – the subjectivity of the interpretive ethnographic researcher – and how it can be recognized, embraced, and appreciated in HCI. I contribute and introduce The Humanistic Ethnographic Essay as a theoretical and methodological reflexive research approach that can enable fellow ethnographic researchers in HCI to engage with their subjectivity in research outcomes. Furthermore, I argue that while methodological approaches can offer scaffolds to researchers, to fully realize the potential for interpretive ethnographic practice would also require a discursive shift from post-positivist empiricism towards a more post-modern, humanistic epistemology. To that effect then, I contribute this monograph itself as a speculative design deployment (Wong and Khovanskaya 2018; Galloway and Caudwell 2018) that not only discusses the alternative conditions I offer, but also embodies it in its structure, writing style, and presentation.