Remote ethnography

Ethnographic research are not reduced to participant observation, interviews and other ethnographic techniques in situ. In addition, we use online social networks and other communication tools, such as Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook’s Messenger, to keep in touch with people remotely (Podjed 2021; Podjed & Muršič 2021). The digital technologies have proven to be instrumental for anthropological research in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be relevant in this project too. Remote ethnography could in some circumstances become even our fundamental approach, especially when dealing with isolated people who do not want or are not used to be physically in touch with other people, but are willing to talk on Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or simply use their phone to interact with the research team.

Figure 1. Isolation at sea: A sleeping cabin on a ship (July 2023, photo credit: Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić)

Figure 2. Isolation at sea: An armchair on a ship (July 2023, photo credit: Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić)

Figure 3. Isolation at sea: Details of the sailor’s cabin on the ship (July 2023, photo credit: Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić)

Figure 4. Isolation at sea: Details of the sailor’s cabin on the ship (July 2023, photo credit: Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić)

Figure 5. Isolation at sea: Living, working and sleeping space on a ship (July 2023, photo credit: Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić)