Immersion

Immersion involves a person from one environment spending some time within another environment, usually one for which they have some professional responsibility or research interest. It is a feature of human-centred design, ethnographic action research, classical anthropology, some forms of reportage and is also sometimes used in professional development.  In as much as its aim is to develop the competencies (empathy and understanding) of the immersed person, it may be questioned whether it is a sufficiently two- way process to be seen as engagement.  On the other hand, it is entirely dependent on the active consent of the host community.