12th EASA Biennial Conference
10-13 July 2012
Nanterre University, France
Young Scholars Forum
This plenary is a chance to show-case emerging young anthropological talent.
Contemporary ethnographic practice and the value of serendipity
Convenors:
Isabelle Rivoal, CNRS/Nanterre University (France)
isabelle.rivoal@mae.u-paris10.fr
Noel B. Salazar, University of Leuven (Belgium)
Abstract:
Ethnographic practice developed within anthropology as a fieldwork
method and methodology that values uncertainty and the necessary
reflexivity this triggers. In order to give this epistemological
challenge a chance, ethnographers were allowed sufficient time to soak
in 'Otherness'. Time was deemed indispensable to cope with the
ambiguity of what exactly to look for while 'being there', in the
field. Long periods of waiting were seen as a precondition for
creativity and serendipity. But how to guarantee these unpredictable
scientific values while various authorities and media demand from
anthropologists, like from other scholars in the social sciences, to
shed light on what is going on immediately. External contingencies
that stress the quantitative aspects of research output often prevent
anthropologists from indulging in 'slow science'. Instead, they have
to write and publish quickly to keep their ethnographic account
relevant before it becomes obsolete, hereby blurring the line between
the anthropological quest and journalistic accounts. How do
up-and-coming anthropologists think of the 'good old' long-term
fieldwork? What do they consider to be the most ideal forms of
ethnographic practice to address present-day research challenges and
realities? Which characteristics of anthropological knowledge
gathering do they find most essential? What is their ethnographic
agenda for the future? This plenary offers promising young scholars a
unique opportunity to address these major questions.
Application procedure:
If you are interested in joining this plenary, please mail the
convenors your proposal as soon as possible.
All technical information (e.g. required information, format) is
available online:
http://www.easaonline.org/conferences/easa2012/callforpapers.htm
Deadline:
28 November 2011
