ABSTRACT
Ethnography in the classical anthropological tradition has long aimed at producing relatively holistic representations of more or less clearly bounded, fairly small groups. The forces of globalization and the ensuing problems for adequate research have engaged sociology just as much as anthropology. The ideal of the entrepreneurial self simultaneously constitutes an appeal, a threat, and an apology. Sociological ethnography in and of complex societies cannot deal exclusively with clearly bounded groups in single places. Castel's suggestion to study processes of exclusion by looking at mechanisms 'in the centre' helped us identify strategic locales for exploring issues of exclusion regarding labour market participation. In the literature this entrepreneurial self is usually characterised by terms like flexibility, disposability, mobility, polyvalence, relentless self-improvement, orientation to market opportunities, and the like. Multi-sited ethnography is a complex research strategy confronting the ethnographer with methodological and practical problems.
