Tragedy in organizational ethnography: radical critique and transformative experience

Purpose This paper engages with the concept of tragedy to deepen our understanding of how organizational ethnographers can make sense of the injustices we face and the emotions we feel during fieldwork. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses empirical extracts from one interview and field experiences from a two-and-a-half-year ethnographic study on social entrepreneurship. Findings The paper first shows how tragedy, as a distinct way of seeing, and, more specifically, as a radical critique, enables organizational ethnographers to reflect on injustices without disregarding people's harsh and ambiguous living conditions. It then shows how tragedy can transform us as organizational ethnographers by changing what we know, who we are, and what we do. This transformative experience involves gaining new knowledge and a deepened understanding of people's lives. It also involves changing one's identity, preferences, and values as a researcher. Lastly, this transformation holds the potential to foster a sense of resistance and collective responsibility for the injustices people experience. Originality/value The paper adds to our knowledge by demonstrating how tragedy can function both as a radical critique that generates relevant and meaningful knowledge about injustices and emotions and as a transformative experience that profoundly shapes our becoming as organizational ethnographers.