More than a method: Visual ethnography in public administration research

This paper explores the use of visual ethnographic methods as a transformative tool, facilitating a dynamic interaction between researchers, policymakers and citizens. Reflecting on the use of visual ethnographic methods as both a way of knowing and a means of communicating, the paper draws from the author’s experience producing a short visual ethnographic documentary about a community garden. Through this case, the paper explores how visual ethnographic methodologies can enable researchers to reshape relations and direct attention through multimodality, invite active engagement through opening new imaginaries, and empower citizens as active participants in policymaking processes. The study shows that visual ethnographic work can be a co-constitutive force for organizations, an interventional practice that reshapes what policymakers notice, how they feel about an issue, and what they consider possible regarding solutions. It can create new epistemological entry points, grounded in embodied, affective, and relational experiences. The paper concludes with reflections on the methodological and institutional challenges of integrating visual work into public administration research and offers practical considerations for doing so.