Reflexive Ethnography

Reflexive ethnography is an approach to ethnographic research in which the researcher explicitly documents and analyses how their own identity, assumptions, relationships and shifting position in the field shape the knowledge produced. Rather than presenting findings as neutral observation, the reflexive ethnographer treats the encounter itself - including emotional labour, negotiation of consent, and the researcher's own transformations - as analytically important. In accessibility and disability research, reflexive ethnography is used to surface power dynamics, honour participant expertise, and support consent as an ongoing relational practice rather than a one-time signature, particularly in digital field sites such as forums, chat platforms and social VR worlds.