Category Archives: Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018

Is our university a hot bed of political activism, or is it a place of conformity, where structures of power are unchallenged?  What are the conditions under which a critical sensibility – a gut feeling that something is not right with the world – morphs into collective action to bring about change? To find out, ten grad and undergrad students carried out original ethnographic research in sites including food coops, the student union, colleges, sororities, clubs, campaign meetings, street protests and counter-protests, websites and archives.

Explore blog posts and ethnographic researchers conducted by the students of ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018.

Collaborative Ethnography (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

Collaborative Ethnography (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Nil Alt, Maya El Helou, Cassandra Gemmell, Maggie Morris  This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. Common slogans like “Just do it” … Continue reading →

Politics of Need Interpretation at the UTSU food bank (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

Politics of Need Interpretation at the UTSU food bank (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Nil Alt This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. Volunteering at the food bank can be heavy on the soul, especially when … Continue reading →

The Food Insecure Student (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

The Food Insecure Student (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Nil Alt This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. During my ethnographic project at the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) food … Continue reading →

At the gates of ethnographic knowledge (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

At the gates of ethnographic knowledge (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Nil Alt This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. My first and eventually successful attempt to enter my field, the UTSU food … Continue reading →

Populism on Campus? Examining Self-Victimization in the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Movements (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

Populism on Campus? Examining Self-Victimization in the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Movements (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Tarini Date and Annika Olsen This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. In our fieldwork among the pro-choice (Tarini) and pro-life (Annika) … Continue reading →

Discovering a new world perspective (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

Discovering a new world perspective (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Annika Olsen This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. Discovering a new world perspective “I have a dream…” Those were the words … Continue reading →

“Untitled” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

“Untitled” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Amanda Harvey-Sanchez, Amanda Sumanasekera, and Yiran Li. This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. Abstract Amanda S, Amanda H-S, and Yiran have … Continue reading →

“Untitled” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

“Untitled” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Amanda Sumanasekera This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. Introduction My name is Amanda Sumanasekera and I conducted fieldwork over a  three … Continue reading →

Ethnography as Obsession: On Immersion and Separation in Fieldwork and Writing (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

Ethnography as Obsession: On Immersion and Separation in Fieldwork and Writing (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By: Amanda Harvey-Sánchez and Annika Olsen This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. While Annika and Amanda both thoroughly enjoyed the process of … Continue reading →

How Participant is Participant Observation? On Wearing My “Activist Hat” and My “Ethnographer Hat” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)
Ethnography of the University / Ethnography of the University: Focus on Politics 2018 / Undergraduate Ethnography

How Participant is Participant Observation? On Wearing My “Activist Hat” and My “Ethnographer Hat” (Ethnography of the University 2018: Focus on Politics)

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By Amanda Harvey-Sanchez This blog post as part of a series by the students of the University of Toronto Anthropology course ANT473 and ANT6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, taught by Prof. Tania Li at the University of Toronto in 2018. Click here for the syllabus. This reflection is inspired in part by an event. The event was a … Continue reading →