Abstract

In many disciplines, such as psychology and nursing, phenomenology has been turned into established (sometimes even procedural) methods for conducting empirical qualitative research. In anthropology, by contrast, phenomenology has not been formulated into a specific method or approach. Yet, the influence of phenomenology in anthropology is widespread, and many anthropologists have sophisticated ways of incorporating phenomenology into their research. In this presentation, I provide an overview of the diverse ways that anthropologists understand and use phenomenology today. Drawing upon a series of interviews conducted with phenomenological anthropologists, I show how anthropologists use phenomenological theory, methods, and concepts to inform how they devise research questions, reflect on and understand their methods, and analyze qualitative data. 

About the speaker

Anthony Fernandez 
Assistant Professor of Applied Philosophy, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics
Fellow, Danish Institute for Advanced Study
University of Southern Denmark

Anthony Vincent Fernandez is Assistant Professor of Applied Philosophy at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics and a Fellow of the Danish Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Southern Denmark. His work focuses on how phenomenology can be used in disciplines outside of philosophy, especially in healthcare fields such as psychiatry and nursing. He is co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Phenomenological Psychopathology and associate editor of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences.

Free of charge - All are welcome