Anthropology among plants, data, and scientists : in search of context in data-driven interdisciplinary collaboration

Abstract

In this article we explore interdisciplinarity as a context for doing ethnography both in terms of research techniques and theoretical elaboration. The article presents an account of research conducted by the authors within a team composed of plant pathologists and data scientists. The reflection fits within the theoretical framework of data-driven science, analyzing how anthropology, with its involvement in scientific collaboration processes, can contribute to making interdisciplinarity among contemporary sciences more incisive. We examine how reflection on the ethnographic context can help us understand the concrete role of anthropology in interdisciplinary projects. Context is the result of the intersubjective research process, which leads to diverse and sometimes unexpected forms of knowledge and social relations, as well as the coordination of the roles of co-researcher, observer and writer, along with related responsibilities, ethical dilemmas and challenges. Context reveals itself to be an intrinsically interdisciplinary and political project, involving both the knowledge produced and the research process itself.