Exhuming the body: revisiting the role of the visible body in ethnographic research.

Looking back is often painful. Although in the first instance I might approach a research project with enthusiasm and confidence, in retrospect the sins of omission can become very obvious. In reviewing five research projects employing qualitative ethnographic methods, I explored the underacknowledged role of the visible body in these projects. Although the task of retrospection is blessed with the accumulated wisdom of others, I emphasize the importance of ongoing self-scrutiny and critical analysis of methodological dogmas for researchers and their practices.