De-hierarchization, trans-linearity and intersubjective participation in ethnographic research through interactive media representations: www.laviedurail.net

This article reflects on the advantages as well as the challenges of interactive media productions as a form of (re-)presentation for ethnographic and anthropological research. It draws upon the example of the interactive website www.laviedurail.net, which retraces the Malian part of the former Dakar-Niger Express train track. The website invites users to take stops at different stations where mutual influence with the train determines life along the rail. By choosing an order in which media elements such as photos, videos, sound recordings and texts are addressed, the recipient creates a subjective path of knowledge. While a multimedia presentation offers a de-hierarchized and trans-linear approach, at the same time it cannot avoid the selective character of the material. Therefore, it becomes necessary to perceive and reflect recipient, informants as well as researcher as subjects of the project.