Paper short abstract:

The questions I will explore are 1) How can we conduct ethnography in the context of restrictive protocols in the era of the Covid-19 Pandemic? and 2) How do we teach/share our findings during the COVID-19 pandemic? Covid-19 protocols are about behaviour modification as an approach to stemming the spread of the disease.

Paper long abstract:

The most spectacular component of the protocols has been the global lock down, the physical restriction of movements of people across the globe. In the conjuncture of the restrictive protocols associated with the COVID-19, how do we obtain deep knowledge about a situation which can only be obtained via ethnographic approaches? Furthermore, supposing that the first hurdle of inquiry has been negotiated, how do we make our experience and findings available to stake holders in domains who draw from such knowledge for assorted initiatives in efforts to fix issues of society? To the two questions the answer lies partly in already existing digital tools such as Google sites [YouTube videos, specialists’ blogging, e-books showcasing, discussions of articles and posts among experts], Zoom and Skype, for audio-visual interaction and an assortment of qualitative data analysis soft wares. Digital ethnography is a valuable tool to conduct in-depth ethnographic research during and post COVID-19. To adapt to imperatives arising from the COVID-19 pandemic it will be crucial for anthropologists to use a mix of the best tools available to them when conducting research and teaching.

Keywords

digital ethnography, covid-19 pandemic, research, teaching, options and appraisals