Ethnographies of global health governance and diplomacy: A practical guide

In the past two decades, medical anthropology has increasingly turned its attention to the global, including ethnographic fieldwork at global health mega-events and the processes behind global health initiatives. Similar developments have taken place in political and legal anthropology, with researchers looking at United Nations organizations, transnational epistemic communities, and other global sites of policy-making. Ethnographic methods have also become popular in International Relations, particularly in research on diplomatic practices. Despite the need for and interest in ethnographic research on global health diplomacy, governance, and politics, there are practical and ethical challenges to doing fieldwork in “global” spaces. In this essay, I discuss defining and accessing the field, everyday life in the field, and ethical challenges.  I draw upon examples from over a decade of fieldwork at and around the World Health Organization (WHO). I also discuss how other ethnographers have approached global health diplomacy, governance, and politics.