York University: "The new ethnography"

Today I attended the workshop in York University, “The new ethnography: Affect, anxiety and event” by Professor Stephen Linstead.

York is a beautiful town, and has long history. It is said that it started 1000 years ago. In the downtown, there is an ancient wall along the city.

To my surprise, the traffic is heavy and a lot of tourists. On the other hand, there are also many spaces for planting, a wide range of pastry and gorgeous campus  

“Ethnography” is really a strange field. I know the problem or positive empericalism. However, it’s not easy to accept the way ethnography conduct research. It’ s like a story and another story.

The professor recommend, “Ordinary affects”(Kathleen Stewart 2007). He said it’s a very good. He himself also added a lot of stick on the book and said he read the book repeatedly.

 Another is “Writing a new ethnography” 

Karen Hom, Liquadated, An Ethnography of Wall Street

What is the theorical foundation of ethnography? I think it can tell many stories and can tell us more about the world. We can’t tell these things. You can observe the world, finding many interesting moment.

For instance, if we would like to know the theory of cancer, we can read the scientific report about the recovery rates. But we also can read the narrative story of the patients with cancer. If we read more and we can understand the patients with cancer more. Better than mere digital number.

For me, its attractive point is that it is flexible and can give us a whole (part) image of the phenomenon in depth.

How do I adopt this method? I don’t think I am courageous enough to use this method. However, I can have my research diary. Keep the diary and to see what happened to me. I think that I can record the observers I investigate.

It’s not easy to have a bravely new beginning, but I can start it from a first try and make a better or make it every time. I have to start it today and I hope I can do it better.

I think people devote themselves to academic life, they have to be interested in books and arguments. Trust the power of reason and knowledge. Enjoy the game of the words. Enjoy language and wonder about the world and curious about how people think and argue.