Researching Communication in Context: Engaged Epistemology and Ethnographic Fieldwork Transforms Understanding of Interactions after Laryngectomy

This paper presents transdisciplinary research on laryngectomy and a methodological stance to broaden research paradigms for the cognitive sciences. Studying daily experiences of people communicating without biological larynx in an interactive context, we put special emphasis on methodology combining engaged epistemology with ethnographic fieldwork. Our results made evident i) the role of anatomical and physiological adaptations in shaping communication and social relations, ii) the existence of multimodal and context-dependent alternative strategies of conversation, iii) the crucial role of participants’ agency. The dialogue between epistemologically engaged cognitive science and ethnographic fieldwork allowed us to remain open to novel interpretations of the communicative situations and led to unexpected observations. Results of this study point to the importance of integrating qualitative methodologies within research on cognition, and may prove useful for guiding therapeutic interventions and novel technological designs.