Week 6 — EthnographySOCI/ANTH 441 Material CultureAlexandre EnkerliOctober 8, 2008

Today

•Project•Presentations•Ethnography•Texts•(Geek culture?)

Presentation

•Main presentation: 10 minutes.•Question period: 5 minutes.•Outline: maximum 1500 words.•Argument

▫Social and/or cultural significance•Selected details•Ideas and questions for final paper•Get feedback

Sample Outline

•1 min – Argument•4 mins – Model•3 mins – Evidence•1 min – Conclusion or Summary•1 min – Floundering

Current Schedule

•November 5▫Laurie, Tibeau, Yong, Michele

•November 12▫Diya, Tamara, Haley, Gregory, Zinique,

Ahmad, Michael, Elizabeth•November 19

▫Tessa•November 26

▫(Empty)

Ethnography

•Qualitative research•Participant-observation•Open-Ended Interviews•Genealogies•“Writing Culture”

•Direct▫Actions/behaviours▫Discourse/Dialogue▫Objects/Material Culture

•Indirect▫Values▫Beliefs▫Ideals

“Observables”

•Field Research•Field sites•“Ethnographic societies”•Exotic/familiar•Classification•Worldview

Ethnographic Classics

•Generic•Contrast methods•Cultural anthropology•Folkloristics•Ethnohistory•Journal of Material Culture 9(1)

Ethnographic Disciplines

Horst and Miller (2005)Holly and Cordy (2007)Douny (2007)

Text Themes

•Flexibility•Inconclusiveness•Meanings/values•Transformation•Manufacturer•Personalization•Rituals•Play identity•Gender

•Barth•Calame-Griaule•Castells•Dant•Dégh•Douglas•Godelier•Mauss•Paulme

Authors