Reading and Writing Ethnography

Undergraduate / Graduate

Ethnography -- as an activity, method, and analytical sensibility -- is an important part of defining and contesting what anthropology is and does. Critical perspectives on ethnographic research and writing have pointed out the authorization, exotification, and politics of mobility that undergird the 'where' in 'being there' as well as the designation of 'field' as the outside space for fieldwork. What's more, contemporary anthropologists are producing 'ethnography' that works against the term's very composition as ethnos (human classificatory grouping) and graphia (writing, inscription). Rather than theorize about what ethnography is or should be, we will consider and develop a practical understanding of ethnography by reading it and writing it. In this course, we will work with some contemporary ethnographies (and some ethnography adjacent works) that combine description and analysis in creative ways. Through regular exercises in observation and writing, we will explore together in class how ethnographic writing can develop conceptual and political arguments. A core objective of this course is to practice the reflective and intellectual work that goes into considering ethnographic research questions and composing the complicated texts that attempt to answer them. In simpler terms, this class is about writing and the deliberate and creative work that goes into it.