Experiential Literary Ethnography: A Creative Approach to Revealing Cultural Value

Abstract

In this chapter, the author discusses the craft and composition of experiential literary ethnographies, why creative writing techniques are integral to the process, and what this approach to research and writing can reveal about cultural value and impact. It reflects on how this approach emerged out of the work of previous anthropologists and writers; makes a case for why it offers a particularly fruitful approach to researching and writing about live literature today; and shows how experiential literary ethnography can be fruitfully applied in other contexts.