The field of digital humanities and computational social sciences is necessarily interdisciplinary. In anthropology, computation is still marginal, although computational means may advance anthropological arguments and understanding of ethnographic data by verifying outside of ethnographic data collection and providing overview through distance reading. Ethnography, by contrast, enhances computation by making it possible to observe what occurs outside of “the frame”. Collaboration is undeniably valuable if scholars want to identify and contextualise culture as a system of ideas and symbols (Bail 2014). In this article we discuss our practice of combining Computational and Ethnographic methods, i.e. ‘Computational Ethnography’. We are especially interested to understand how computational ethnography reveals new layers of complexity and also overlooked biases?
This presentation addresses this question based on case studies of an ongoing research project on (trans)national networks of Fulani (see nomadesahel.org). The interdisciplinary study focuses on Fulani networks in a context of increasing conflict in the Sahel, combining historical-ethnographic and computational methods to understand the ‘workings’ of networked conflict. Networks are places that imply agency, decision making and strategy. The project focuses on social media and offline engagements among various sub-ethnic groups of Fulani (three platforms, with an emphasis on Chad and Mali and locals’ connections to other Sahelian countries and diaspora communities in Europe and USA). Due to the linguistic diversity, negotiated access, and cultural nuances across the corpus the identification of patterns requires a triangulation between ethnography (in-depth interviews, participant observation), computation (Social Network Analysis, Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision), and historical analysis. Triangulation allows for a more coherent communication biography of Fulani creators, pages, and groups, whom discuss Islam, ethnicity, nomadism, gender, and conflict in (semi-)public online spaces. With computation we discern the actors on WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok, as well as the content the digital brokers participate in. With ethnography we interpret these findings and address the role the platform plays in people’s everyday lives.
Firstly, this paper addresses the development of our approach to ‘computational ethnography’ and how it has enhanced understandings of today’s conflicts and the organisation of Fulani networks in the Sahel.
Secondly, this paper critically reflects on the epistemological and ethical challenges of computational science and ethnography. The interdisciplinary approach brought a double subjectivity in our findings: 1. ethnographic positionality, 2. algorithmic positionality. Anthropologists view their research process as subjective and institutionally situated. At the same time, algorithms have effect on a researcher’s biases, as they function as a kind of filter to what you see, hear, and do; these technological features hence play a role in the demarcation of a researcher’s field site. This presentation reflects on these patterns of power that come with the unfolding of a new methodology, and that consequently inform knowledge of Fulani history and culture.