Writing, Writing, Writing...for social change

Ethnography is challenging, time consuming work. So why am I drawn to ethnography as a scientific method? What compels me (and hopefully you) to traipse around the field and write about what we find there?

• Should we write social science that matters?
• Does writing with a political perspective run counter to the credo of cultural relativity?
• Is ethnography an "ethical practice of social justice"?

Factors:

• our strength as ethnographers is our ability to witness, and to retell stories
• our mission is to allow a variety of stories to be told, especially those that traditionally do not have a voice
• obligation to let those voices reach people who can enact change (policy makers)
• however, we are socialized as scientists to maintain objectivity
• academic journals are often inaccessible
• our writing must also be accessible to those outside of our discipline

Vulnerable writing elicits vulnerable responses and sticks with you long after you encounter it

• Ruth Behar "The Vulnerable Observer"
• connects you to people and leads to social change
• how do we witness without avoiding action?
• She proposes an anthropology that is lived and written in a personal voice. 
• She does so in the hope that it will lead us toward greater depth of understanding and feeling, not only in contemporary anthropology, but in all acts of witnessing.
• how anthropologists situate themselves within their research and the personal experience of fieldwork, is an important one to have in anthropology. 
• We are not so distanced from that which we study, that our research won't affect us.
• How do we move from feeling to action?
• The power of emotion - fuel for action - any emotion will do
• Is the act of writing already an "engagement"? Should we do this deliberately then with purpose?

Advocacy versus cultural relativity?

"I am always a little ambivalent about advocacy. I al- ways want to advocate; but I also always think that they (the people I've studied) could speak better for themselves than I could for them. And, further, to make myself an advocate would provide the other side-government, officials, etc.-with an excuse for not talking to the people themselves.... I have to distinguish between the local community's need for my advocacy and my emotional and intellectual need/inclination to sympathize with them. I decided long ago that my advocacy-such as it is-had to lie in my ethnography: in presenting them and the complexity of their lives in a way that they would feel did them justice."   ANTHONY COHEN, I985

1. is advocacy a form of taking your informant's voices away?
2. is advocacy by definition a lack of objectivity?
3. does advocacy privilege one story over others?

Advocacy Films

Writing, Writing, Writing...Integrating the literature

 Part of what we do as academics is to situate our work within the larger scholarly conversation.

just as THICK DESCRIPTION provides weight for your analytic arguments, citations provide weight for your "belonging" in the larger academic field. They are an argument for why your paper matters.

• what are the scholarly conversations around your topic (inequality, prisons, sex work, etc.-there may be more than one). 
• your literature review is key to this process
• you may have to do supplementary research of the literature as your themes develop
• YOU NEED TO READ!!!! (I know that most of you do not read enough)
• Scholars need to love reading and have the desire to see what others are saying about things that they are interested in.
• connecting your work to other scholars you demonstrate the legitimacy of your place in the conversation about your subject
• in a larger ethnography this may take the help of a research librarian (though I never have)
• Organizing literature is no different than analyzing qualitative data. 
• rather than integrating the literature into a cohesive narrative, some scholars start with a laundry list of previous studies (grrrr)
• they may summarize each argument in a separate paragraph.
• does not demonstrate your grasp of the larger arguments
• a good literature review synthesizes previous work and draws analytic conclusions from them
• I treat literature reviews like data and organize them into THEMES. then I integrate them as references into my writing when I am discussing that theme (as support or as clarification of a hypothesis i am making)
• I use the work of others to support my claims rather than describe their research (unless that is necessary)
• Metaphors for WRITING:
• ONE: The publishing world is a neighborhood with a set number of houses. Every published author reside in one of those houses. Once those houses are occupied, that's it! there is no more room!
• TWO: Publishing is an apartment complex, and when one complex is built, they build another. WORRY ABOUT HOW YOUR WRITE. There are always places to get your work published today if it is good (and even if it isn't).

What Do I call this thing?

I LOVED how some of our metaphors became titles last class! Yes, I love writing catchy titles and headings and subheadings! They are a device that moves the action along in your writing. 

• Make it catchy (sexy title)
• Should tell the reader as succinctly as possible what the work is about in an interesting way
• Give thought to key words that might be entered into search engines for the research of others
• If you can't bear to part with a catchy creative title that does not search well, consider a subtitles which is more descriptive

Structure:

Describe your topic

research methodology/fieldsite

Introduce your characters

Introduce yourself

-----

Plot points which introduce your themes, enliven your characters, identify crises

----

Resolve crises as you draw theoretical conclusions

----

wrap up action

pose questions for further research

Panic Attack

You have finally written up your work. It is creative, well-developed...you follow a story arc, introduce intriguing characters living in a colorful world. they encounter and overcome obstacles. You do this all with thick description and panache! You have inserted YOURSELF into the scholarly conversation and found just the right title (s). Then you start with the self-doubt...the imposter syndrome. 

• Maybe not with a college assignment, but if you go on to write (which I hope you do), this is common, but not useful
• Anne Lamott:
• "You may experience a dreary form of existential dread, considering the absolute meaninglessness of life, and the fact that no one has ever really loved you; you may find yourself with a free-floating shame, and a hopelessness about your work, and the realization that you will have to throw out everything you've done so far and start from scratch. But, you will not be able to do so."
• Ethnography takes a long time-YEAR (5-10)
• Fear of failure is a normal response but not useful

Publishing and Framing

I know we are not here yet, but some of you will write pieces now, or in the future that are worthy of publishing and you should SUBMIT these without fear of rejection. YOU WILL BE REJECTED

• I write with a publisher in mind, whether it is a book, article or short commentary
• I write differently for different audiences
• Pedagogical approximation- the adjustment of material and presentation to match a certain audience
• Critical Acceptance: i make sure that I frame my arguments in a way that my target audience can CONSIDER them, and have enough information to draw CONCLUSIONS on their own. Whatever that audience.
• make sure you follow the guidelines of the publishers
• make sure you review some sample work
• make sure you can argue the merits of your written piece. CLEARLY and FORCEFULLY
• Routledge.
• Check out who the editor is

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR ETHNOGRAPHY?

WHAT ARE THE TAKE-AWAYS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR READER TO GET?

WHY IS YOUR WORK SIGNIFICANT?

WHO ARE THE READERS?

Writing, Writing, Writing...Cast and Charachters

 Characters are the people you interact with sometime during the course of your research.

TWO TYPES:

• unique individuals
• class of people (composite)
• fictionalized, yet grounded in your research
• typical cases of a group of people
• alert your reader to this when you use them in your ethnography
• explain details of particular categories in your research
• have layers of complexity-not stereotypes
• want to know WHAT, HOW, and WHY humans do things
• Use anecdotes : personify your character and give your reader insight into their world.
• story is similar to others that you heard throughout your research
• good example of average participant at your site 
• drawn from your fieldnotes and transcriptions
• Descriptive details help the reader imagine your character
• dont overdue it. a few details allow your reader to imagine your character in your head
• "Jason is a tall, thin man with a comb-over"
• think of details that make your character distinct
• how do they speak? are there distinctive details?
• What is their body language, posture? how do they move?
• do they have mannerisms?
• clothing
• better to give your details descriptively instead of explaining anything about the character of the individual directly
• "Zooming Out" to describe the group can help to define your individual characters in context

Metaphorically Speaking:

• Help to personify your characters and bring them to life on the page
• Metaphors are analogies that connect two things that seem on the surface to be unrelated, but when pointed out, makes rhetorical sense.
• metaphors add color to your story and help tap into your reader's imagination
• metaphors that your informants use can be utilized in your storytelling as a literary device in your writing
• what metaphors do your informants use?
• Can act as touchstones in your story
• MUST be familiar to your audience to be useful

write a scene from your research using a metaphor used by your informants.

Vignettes:

• Vignettes are "snapshots" or short description of events or people that evoke the overall picture the ethnographer is trying to paint
• help to set up a scene for the reader
• set up a question in the reader's mind
• stand alone, but also places that question in the reader's mind...it is NOT resolved

Sounding "Smart":

• many of us in academia are guilty of using jargon as an elite membership card
• Elegance in writing is BETTER...simplicity
• relies on trusting the power of the research tale itself, told in a clear and straightforward manner
• your IDEAS make an impression on your reader
• they wont get through your writing if they think it is pedantic or you are a pompous ass.
• look at how many articles or books you have never finished at university

Writing, writing, writing...Voice

 

VOICE

There are two different voices in which ethnographers write: Their own and those of their informants

Greatest concern is how to capture and represent our informants voices authentically.

• voice should bring humanity to the experience
• voice should be "textually embodied"
• test: read your work out load. Does it sound like you?
• Be a relaxed writer and begin by writing quickly. let go of your inner editor and just write. Your inner editor can come back later in the writing process.
• emulate the work of writers you enjoy. Why do you like their writing?

Writing in the Voice of Our Informants:

• you should never embarrass your informants
• gestures used to clarify direct quotes are put in []
• be careful how you use first (we, I), second (you, they), and third (one, she a woman) person in your writing. First person is most evocative, but third person can give a sense of distance, being ignored, or emotional content like disassociation if used properly. Second person is almost never used in ethnography.

Active/Passive Voice:

• Active voice is best and shows that the unfolding story is dynamic.
• This ethnography explores... versus In this ethnography I explore...
• use active voice by identifying the "actor" things dont happen by themselve
• Adverbs (get rid of them) replace them with action verbs
• change these to verbs "slowly walked", "lovingly touched", "spoke loudly"
• SHOW don't tell
• thick description (Geertz)
• invites readers into the world of your ethnography
• compelling details draw the reader into the story
• details bring context (immerse your reader)
• sensual and visceral
• Can you identify compelling details from your fieldnotes????
• tell a story rather than "use a quote"
• Can you write a character sketch of a composite character from your research (name, characteristics, background story)

Conversations:

• include conversations in your writing if you have recorded them
• more natural speech
• has context within it
• you CAN create a conversation that happened between you and the informant (with a composite) totally kosher!
• Many ways 
• 
  

Writing, Writing, Writing...Positionality and Plot

 

IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF WRITING

(1)  After watching the film, pick an aspect of "tradition" of the Toda and write detailed notes about it

(2) watch the film again and take notes

(3) Compare both sets of notes

(4) compare your notes to others

• differences between writing (1) (field notes) from memory (lack of detail, and the potential to collapse events and time, among others) and (2) writing while actually in a place (noting more detail, movement of people throughout spaces, variations at different times of day, and other aspects of in-site descriptions). 
• the different possible perspectives on places and events, what anthropologists call positionality; 
• the plethora of detail to be written about; 
• different writing styles; 
• differences in focus, (e.g., writing more about people and their interactions versus writing more about the physical space). 
• all of these are important to consider when writing descriptive field notes, as well as the importance of writing during or as soon after participant-observation experiences as possible. 

Tips and tricks for writers

• write every day
• reread and edit your writing
• find writing/editing partners that you trust for feedback
• Save every edition
• go back to your notes on a regular basis
• Allow your writing to mirror the "inductive" research process

We can Understand ethnography as having 3 basic strategies (noting that no research account can ever be "true"):

• straight forward description
• semi-fictionalized accounts
• creative-nonfiction (fictionalized accounts)

The article linked here discusses these various strategies HERE

What makes a story great and a great storyteller?

• identify a story you find compelling.What details and emotions are evoked in your own imagination? What does the author do to hold your interest?
• What do you hope will resonate with readers after they finish your work?
• Ruth Behar has a concept called the "vulnerable observer"--it states that good ethnography is written with the ethnographer being emotionally vulnerable
• "Ladder of emotion" (Hart)
• Far (away from those you observe-less emotional content)
• Near (close to those you observe-more evocative emotional content) 
• You may go up and down this ladder as you write to keep your reader's interest
• Try writing from a far and close perspective

"Types of Tails"

• realist tales-writer attempts to assume an objective stance in writing their narrative. It is usually written in an "institutional voice." It is focused on theory and make take on a documentary tone. The piece is premised on the authority of the writer/ethnographer (no longer in favor-imperialist)
• confessional tales-The writer is present in their ethnography in that they talk about how they collected their research, how it impacted them, how they went about the writing process. The reader follows the fieldworker through the journey of discovery.
• impressionistic tales-draw the reader into a dramatic story as your device. Utilizes literary and creative nonfiction devices. Characters are developed and their stories are presented in a literary structure. Through fiction one can draw on the totality of their experiences in the field.
• advocacy/critical tales-written with the overt stated purpose to enact social change (critical ethnography) in the service of justice. diametrically opposed to the objective stance.
• collaborative tales-a response to what is perceived as "knowledge appropriation". Here the ethnographer writes with a member of that culture. This is an attempt to diminish the power asymmetry between the researcher and the culture they study.
• experimental tales-reflexive positioning to help establish credibility. can be seen as narcissistic or navel gazing. (postmodern writing)

Story Arcs:

• this is the overall structure of your ethnography rather than the details. It is when you step back and consider the entire structure. (plot)
  
• written work should capture the flow of the dynamic ethnographic experience of fieldwork
• Events are not static categories which occur in a chronological order. They are constantly unfolding. Following transformations: physical, emotional, intellectual -which the ethnographer experiences

• A PLOT emerges when the storyteller carefully selects and arranges materials so that larger meaning can emerge. For larger meanings that connect and resonate with people outside of that culture. diminish the chance that your group will be fetishized by having the meanings be relatable.
• Stages:
• Exposition: introduce the reader to the world of ethnographic research, introduce the characters and give background information. Don't reveal too much too soon. Details will come out as your ethnography unfolds. Give them enough to set the stage and peak their interest.
• Rising Action: Plot point which describe action and the dynamic nature of your ethnographic experience. Readers want action not just facts. Through these plot points, further details may be revealed.
• take the readers into the immediacy of a scene, dramatic action, vivid conversation, and forward moving plots"
• bulid a tension that keeps readers reading through literary devices
• pacing-go quickly through less important bits and slow down with details for the important stuff
• action verbs
• cliff hangers: close out each plot point with a dramatic twist that leaves readers hanging-don't give conclusions too soon. Build evidence through experience into the climax of your plot. (creates tension)
• Crisis: everything hangs in the balance and the story could go a number of different ways for your informants. Like a wave about to break.
• Climax: This wave creates a climax, where things are resolved. We learn the outcome. 
• Falling Action: tie up loose ends and draw conclusions or pose further questions. Ends with a kicker that leaves the reader wanting to know more.

MAP YOUR ETHNOGRAPHY AND WRITE A KICKER FOR YOUR ENDING.