Compiere un “passo di lato” : note a margine di un incidente etnografico

What can an ethnographic incident reveal? Through the narration of an incident that occurred during an ethnographic investigation conducted within a ghetto of agricultural laborers in the province of Trapani, this paper aims to critically reflect on the theoretical, methodological and applicative potential of ethnographic incidents. Building on Strathern’s (2000) insight, which suggests that keeping the field open to the unpredictable is one of the achievement of anthropological ethnography, this paper aims to focus on the cognitive and political implications of accidental ethnography. In this context, it represents a unique opportunity for the production of relational, connected and embodied knowledge.