Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE)

About us

Discover more about our research and how to get in touch.

The Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE) was established by Professor Rod Rhodes in the Department of Politics and International Relations (PAIR) to promote ethnographic research in political science. CPE is an interdisciplinary platform that brings together researchers from across the University of Southampton who use—or are curious about using—ethnographic methods to study politics in its many forms.

Our members come from a wide range of disciplines, including political science, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, geography, criminology, and law. Together, we explore timely issues such as political dissatisfaction, misinformation, political parties and the representation of marginalised groups, political elites and the bureaucracy, public policy, migration and forced displacement, social movements, criminal justice, and sustainability.

At the heart of our work is a shared ethical commitment to careful listening and to taking seriously the lived experiences of those we study, as a way of producing more relevant, grounded, and impactful research.

What we do

  • Promote ethnographic and interpretive methods through training, including National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) courses.
  • Organise workshops for PhD students and early-career researchers conducting qualitative research in topics related to politics to foster community and support research development.
  • Host internal feedback sessions and a grant development workshop to support members preparing bids and manuscripts.
  • Invite external speakers and run roundtables to debate key issues in contemporary ethnographic research.

👉 Check out our Events page for upcoming talks, workshops, and calls for submissions.

Contact us

Find out more about the co-directors and if you're interested in presenting your work or collaborating with us, we’d love to hear from you!

Dr Mariana Borges Email: M.Borges_Martins_Da_Silva@soton.ac.uk 

Dr Natalia Cintra Email: n.cintra-de-oliveira-tavares@soton.ac.uk 

Dr Antje Scharenberg Email: a.scharenberg@soton.ac.uk