Digital Ethnography for Sustainable Tribal Development

Ethnography is a widely used tool practiced by social science researchers. Over the recent years Digital Ethnography is being practiced by the researchers using digital media. However, the ethnography be it in its classical form or digital ethnography are used mostly for the study purpose. IBRAD has developed it’s unique way of using digital media through whatsapp video call, Zoom for digital ethnography but not limiting it to the study only. The method is used for both study and interventions for Sustainable Tribal Development of the remotely placed Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups under Kabirdham and Dhamtari districts in Chhattisgarh, Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, East Hazaribah and West Singbhum districts in Jharkhand states of India.  

The Digital Ethnography method is used for understanding the Tribal Cultural Practices, their socio economic conditions, conditions of the natural ecosystems upon which their livelihood primarily depends, their social networks and linkages with the market and external world, identification of the SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) of their habitat as well as the community institutions. The approach includes identification of some pro active community leaders – SICO (Self Initiated Community Organisers) and form Common Interest Groups with like minded people, participatory baseline study and microplanning, establishing Prashikshan Shibir – a semi structured hut as a centre for continuous learning and capacity building, develop structured training modules and conducting training for the CIGs, conducting Training of Trainers for developing Community Resource Persons (CRP) for providing hand holding support at the village level for sustaining the initiatives with a special focus to develop women CRPs, entrepreneurship development, branding, promotion and marketing of selected products.