Sustaining an Open Debate

This chapter presents a theoretical synthesis of the previous chapters, having unfolded ethnographic fieldwork through its multiple aspects (primarily as a human experience of life) and from an interdisciplinary lens. Ultimately, a new definition of “performative ethnography” is provided, citing and reviewing previous uses of the terms and highlighting: (a) the potential of liminality for the researcher when conducting their research in the field, (b) the refuge that psychotherapeutic practices, such as journaling, can offer, and (c) the vehicle of the social role that the researcher can attire to manage their intruding presence in the lives of “others”, protecting their privacy and identity as much as they wish.