Philosophical Reflections on Ethnography in Construction Research

This study discusses three major philosophical foundations of ethnographic studies and the relevance of their applications in construction research. The first foundation is phenomenology, the study of lived experiences of human beings. Phenomenology is relevant for examining lived experience of those working in construction practice and the way certain concepts appear to the consciousness of construction experts or practitioners. The second foundation is hermeneutics, the science of interpretation. The Heideggerian hermeneutic concept of ‘thrownness' is relevant for ethnographic research on the unique contexts of construction projects that require context-sensitive action of practitioners involved. Heidegger's notion of ‘being-in-the-world’, his tool analysis and the concept of a temporary breakdown, allows ethnographers to investigate different ways of human engagement in construction projects. The third foundation is critical research that challenges taken-for-granted assumptions, beliefs, ideologies and discourses. Critical ethnographers gain insights in preconditions and obstacles for technology implementation as they represent the impact of technologies as a struggle between the lifeworld and the system or as an attempt to increase control of construction workers.