SAN2 (was SAN7): Ethnographic Methods and Writing

‘Old’ Selva stands with her grandson and a picture of her own grandmother in front of her home
This paper addresses the methods, ethical considerations, and representational issues of ethnographic research. The paper has two aims: 
  • To support students to develop the skills necessary to produce their own ethnographic research and writing 
  • To support students to develop the skills necessary to assess and interpret secondary ethnographic research 

The paper provides practical training in research methods; considers the relationship between research and writing; interrogates the ethical and political dimensions of ethnography; explores the role of comparison both within and between ethnographies; considers the relationship between anthropology and the ethnographic method. 

The paper combines lectures in different aspects of ethnography, alongside seminars that focus on two ethnographies read in their entirety. These seminars encourage students to think about issues of representation and literary style, in relationship to questions of method, ethics and analysis. 

Undergraduate students: please note that this paper is intended for HSPS Part I and Part IIA students on the single-track Social Anthropology degree. Students who intend to complete a Social Anthropology dissertation in IIB are strongly advised to take this paper.