An invitation of Allah: ethnographic experience of a researcher in the field of religions

Abstract

Ethnography is a qualitative methodology that seeks to apprehend the way of living and the experiences of the people, which may benefit the research on religiosity/spirituality (R/S) in reference communities. The objective of this study was to narrate the ethnographic experience of a researcher in the field of R/S visiting a mosque located in the interior of the State of São Paulo, discussing her impressions and dialogues with her own empirical field. The methodological strategies used were direct observation and the field diary. The narrated ethnographic experience can be useful to enter a reality in order to avoid generalizations at first sight, expressing from the descriptive lens of the researcher, in order to articulate it with existing knowledge and/or to produce new ones. In dialogue with ethnopsychology, the importance of maintaining a posture of alterity was emphasized in order to understand the religious universe of Muslims and reflect on how R/S is present in their personal experiences and behaviors. Finally, it is considered that ethnography is not the result of one going to the field, but of several comings and goings to the field, to the texts and the different universes involved, however, this exercise is fundamental to the researcher in the R/S field.