Sketching and ethical observation on the margins of the city

Haynes, Will, Phillips, Richard and Powell, Ryan (2025) Sketching and ethical observation on the margins of the city. cultural geographies. ISSN 1474-4740

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Abstract

This paper explores the potential of sketching as a vehicle for ethical observation, or an ethical quality of attention, through research involving marginalised individuals. Sketching is a form of drawing, distinguished by immediacy and speed. As such, it has scope for observation of people and places, which navigates the ethical risks and opportunities of research by looking with a light touch. This means paying attention (not blanking or unseeing people) without looking too hard or for too long (staring or scrutinising others). Observational sketching can be distinguished from some forms of drawing, which involve more sustained, concentrated observation. This paper explores the ethical challenges of visual research where looking is particularly fraught – research involving homeless people at a major transport hub: Termini Station in Rome. It is very difficult, not only for researchers but also for others who move around the city, to know where to look when they encounter homeless people. These encounters bring risks, for example of staring at or conversely blanking homeless people. We propose a way of seeing, practiced through sketching, which steers between these problematic poles. Through a series of sketches, we explore different ways of using sketching as a vehicle for ethical observation. We argue that sketching can be ethical, helping to guide the observations of the researcher, cultivating their ability to notice, while collecting data about the experiences of marginalised urban lives. But the ethics of sketching are not simply a fait accompli. Rather, sketching challenges us to ongoing ethical reflection and responsibility, while leaving space for judgement and uncertainty about whether we have got it right.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data availability statement: The sketches associated with this study are publicly available and can be accessed via the following DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28651646. Please contact the corresponding author for any additional inquiries. Funding information: This research was partially funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/R012733/1] through the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	rome,homelessness,research ethics,sketching,urban margins,visual observation,environmental science (miscellaneous),geography, planning and development,cultural studies ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2301
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	31 Oct 2025 17:30
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2025 09:32
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100873
DOI:	10.1177/14744740251372159

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