Methods and Issues of Sonic Ethnography as a Practical Research Method based on Field Recordings

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the significance of sonic ethnography as a practical research method based on field recordings. "Sonic ethnography" refers to field recording works as a product of anthropological fieldwork. In ethnography, which is the empirical description of people’s activities, visual experience has been more important than auditory experience, and the potential of sound recording media has thus far not been sufficiently examined. This paper presents the sonic ethnography "Uminari Tonari" as a case study. We find that sonic ethnography can change the way we perceive things and the world by depicting the mutual and fluid world in which people, things, and nature resonate with each other through sound. The significance and potential of sonic ethnography lie in the sensory connections among people, things, and places through the act of recording, and the reflective thoughts and circulation of research methods and processes.