“A Day In Life”: – a collective research experiment

A Day In Life (ADIL) is a collective methodological experiment initiated by the Nordic Research Network: Young People, Belonging, and Exclusion. In 2022, 13 researchers engaged in a series of short ethnographic fieldworks, each of us following a young person (aged 16-21) over the course of a single day. Designed to gather ethnographic data on the daily lives of young people in the Nordic countries, the methodological experiment aimed primarily to explore and critique emerging approaches to ethnographic methodology.
This article reflects on the ADIL collective experiment, asking: What methodological insights emerge when we conduct a collective research experiment, which zoom in on a single day’s collaborative fieldwork and dialogue with young people, developing knowledge on their everyday lives as well as developing methodology.
The framework for the experiment was guided by a set of dogmas (joint rules) we designed to explore the potential of collaborative, short-term ethnographic engagement. Central to the experiment were two core aims: first, to examine what insights can be gained through focused, day-long interactions with youth, in contrast to traditional long-term ethnographic methods or narrowly defined research questions; and second, to explore the viability of collective analysis and synthesis in qualitative research. We argue that the ADIL experiment underscores the need for renewed critical reflection on fieldwork conditions and practices and what ‘ethnographic fieldwork’ might (also) mean. Furthermore, we highlight the need for critical reflection on collective research approaches’ potential to focus on the implications of researcher positions and enrich qualitative inquiry.