Open AccessThe Object of Research: Considering Material Engagement Theory and Ethnographic Method
Author(s) -
BEAN JONATHAN,
FIGUEIREDO BERNARDO,
LARSEN HANNE PICO
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ethnographic praxis in industry conference proceedings
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1559-8918
pISSN - 1559-890X
DOI - 10.1111/1559-8918.2017.01152
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , context (archaeology) , sociology , ethnography , object (grammar) , epistemology , aesthetics , computer science , art , anthropology , history , artificial intelligence , philosophy , archaeology
The paper outlines a methodological approach for investigating how consumers create brand meaning using the material resources companies provide. The approach draws from Material Engagement Theory—to discuss the role of consumers in creating patterns of meaning by engaging with objects. It also explicates the role of objects in supporting this patterning. We explain how an in‐situ diary tool (dscout, in our case) can be useful to support this approach. We demonstrate our methodological approach in the context of the Red Rooster Harlem, a cosmopolitan restaurant in New York, owned by the celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson.