Drawn to See: Drawing as an Ethnographic Method

by Andrew Causey

In this meditation/how-to guide on drawing as an ethnographic method, Andrew Causey offers insights, inspiration, practical techniques, and encouragement for social scientists interested in exploring drawing as a way of translating what they "see" during their research.

Genres: Anthropology, Read For School

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Finola]

Fun book; I liked the exercises. It's a great read if you are planning to do ethnographic research in the future.

[Jan D]

Was fun, good mix of practical exercises and theory.

[Caitlin Mackinlay]

"by recognising our own aliveness in these thinking acts, by feeling it from within, we may be able to successfully merge the 'participation' with the 'observation'"

A short and useful book for grappling with how to use observational drawings in ethnographic research. Great for those who haven't drawn in research previously. Many examples of drawings, and tasks to draw yourself- both of which are thought provoking. Whilst mentions of other disciplines, given the authors' disciplinary background, most examples are based in anthropology. Despite this, a valuable text.

3/5.

[Louisa]

really not the best, though this is maybe slightly unfair because this is meant to be an introductory guide and i've just come from reading ingold. the exercises are useful, but nothing you can't get to with a bit of common sense and patience. worth flipping through to get an idea of how his program works, but not worth buying

[Diana McCutcheon]

Draws heavily from the exercises in Betty Edwards classic Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but this is adapted for ethnographers in the field. Rather interesting.

[Clara Benioff]

This is the kind of book where a man thinks he’s being profound and original and you’re reading it thinking “I had that thought when I was 8” 🙄