233050 SE STS and ethnography: exploring generative interfaces (2022W)

This course explores ethnography as an object that changes in practice while performing what it studies.Abandoning traditional and disciplinary understandings of ethnography, the sessions of this course aim at exploring three questions: 1. the potential uses of ethnography beyond the study of the 'ethno', 2. the theoretical (epistemic) and practical implications of engaging with experimental or less conventional forms of ethnography 3. how ethnographers are transformed by the very ethnographic practice. Although we draw on recent empirical and theoretical work on ethnography as a generative interface between anthropology and STS, our reflections, readings and cases are not limited to these two fields. Hence, our course includes readings reflecting on ethnography as practice, and timely examples of ethnography of documents, digital technologies, affect, fiction, among others.The basic assumption of the course is that ethnography is better understood/embodied/learnt by reading, designing, and writing it. Therefore, students are expected to actively engage in the readings of the course and the discussions, propose in groups an ethnographic research project inspired by the contents of the course, and individually write an ethnographic text of personal preference. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in brief and concrete writing mini-workshops. IMPORTANT: No previous experience with qualitative methods or ethnography is necessary for taking this course. It is instead designed in a way that permits collective reflections and at the same time situated, individual reading-writing-reflecting engagements.