The Center for Global Ethnography kicks off with an event on urban ethnography

The Center for Global Ethnography (CGE) hosted its first event on January 30, exploring questions associated with carrying out ethnographic research in an urban environment.  CGE convened 34 grad students and faculty members from Communication, Sociology, Anthropology, the Stanford University Libraries, and other programs and departments for a conversation with Professors Forest Stuart (Sociology) and Thomas Blom Hansen (Anthropology).

The exchange focused on the methodological intricacies and specificities of urban ethnographic practices in a digital age. On the table were issues such as:

• How can and should researchers maintain standards of anonymity when interlocutors report their encounters with researchers on social media?
• How does one’s own public research profile shape how interlocutors engage with you?
• With the rise in mobile phone use, to what extent has media representation been democratized in various public spheres?
• What happens to research when one’s own project is leveraged in the media for different purposes?

Throughout the Q&A, audience members expressed how grateful they were to be in contact with other ethnographers from around campus. This event was the first in a series of events and workshops aimed at providing practical and theoretical knowledge on ethnographic research methods to Stanford researchers.

To learn more about CGE's programs, visit the Center's website