Laboratory Life: Twenty Years of Experimental Research with Locals and New Comers in Remote Rural Areas

Abstract

Through the Latour concept of philosophy of science of laboratory life, the life course of a (geo) ethnographer researcher is analyzed, in order to establish the emotional or more personal dimensions that do not usually appear in research papers, but that have notable relevance in qualitative research. The text is structured in three large parts: A conceptual vision of the new experimental geography; the experimental geo-ethnography in old social, new social and place scenarios; and finally, the most personal and emotional dimension of the research. The first part establishes the geo-ethnographic experimental context and the assumptions in fieldwork, in addition to the geo-ethnographic reconciliation process. In the second part, the main qualitative research problems related to mobility, resistance and dynamics in place are established. Finally, in the third part the research perceptions, the personal experiences, and the emotional dimension of the research in remote rural areas are established. The laboratory life of a researcher, allows one to establish scalar conclusions and rigor in qualitative research.