emlyon business school launches the Ethnographic Institute

@EMLYON – The School is launching a new Ethnographic Institute, led by David Courpasson, Professor of Sociology at emlyon. The Ethnographic Institute, composed of a dozen faculty members, reflection and discussion on the social transformations of the world. It will be based on three pillars, namely research, education and public debate.

Research

The creation of the Ethnographic Institute will consolidate development of the “ethnographic science” practiced since the early 1990s within emlyon research. Surveys conducted by emlyon faculty members have led to numerous results being published in top international journals, such as Organization Science, Organization Studies, Journal of Management Studies and Entrepreneurship: theory and practice. These surveys have in particular enabled the OCE (Organizations, Critical & Ethnographic Perspectives Research Center), one of emlyon‘s research centers, to forge ties with other renowned European humanities and social sciences institutions.

Education

By creating this new Institute, emlyon is seeking to promote knowledge of ethnography among the School’s students in order to provide them with 3 key skills:

awareness of individuals’ own experiences,

the ability to recount these experiences through specific stories,

the ability to question what seems obvious

Public debate

The Ethnographic Institute will also provide a platform for debating the results of research carried out by emlyon’s research teams, students, and the Institute’s academic partners (Cardiff Business School, ESADE, the University of Louvain, the University of Paris Dauphine- PSL, and the Free University of Amsterdam). This forum will consist of a series of lectures, ethnographic documentaries and exhibitions of photographic works… all events designed to engage in dialog with the public.

David Courpasson explained: “The goal of the Ethnographic Institute is to take a new look at organizations and society, to go beyond appearances in order to analyze social relationships in depth and better understand the interactions that shape the human experience in organizations on a daily basis, and more globally, the very functioning of societies.”

Isabelle Huault, President of the Executive Board and CEO of emlyon business school added: “As expressed in emlyon’s mission statement, the School’s role is to “provide lifelong training and support to enlightened people who effectively change organizations”. The Ethnographic Institute and its research will contribute to the development of reflexivity, critical thinking, and creativity of emlyon students ʺto build a society that is fairer, shows solidarity for others and respects the planetʺ. We are thrilled to see the Ethnographic Institute open, almost a year to the day after the launch of the “Confluences 2025” plan.”