This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” With the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, many of my friends were sharing popular posts supporting Black … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ethnography of the University
Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in ANT473 and ANT 6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, together with other members of the Ethnography Lab have been investigating various aspects of life at the University of Toronto. The purpose of the course is for students to learn how to conduct an independent ethnographic inquiry, analyse data, and write it up as an original contribution to knowledge. Data comes from observations, archives, interviews, photos and other methods, as students spend time in field sites in a range of venues across campus. They use weekly meetings for brainstorming, sharing insights, coming up with provisional analysis, and allocating tasks for individuals or sub-groups to work on in the week ahead. The resulting blog posts and final papers are archived here.
Tailoring News to Work Hours and Leisure Time, By Sabrina Wu (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” Apple News, New York Times, and other news applications provide a convenient service of putting together a string of intriguing headlines as daily notifications. A … Continue reading
Moving Away from Materiality: The Work of Personal Branding, By Sabrina Wu (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” Consumerism is usually defined as being preoccupied with spending wealth on superficial, material things. However, the materiality of what is being consumed becomes harder to … Continue reading
Digital Cultural Capital Exchange and Value: Knowing What to Say and How to Say It, By Sabrina Wu, Kaylee Tang, and Tenzin Tsundue (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” A popular image of a mouse is blown up on a billboard for receiving more likes than the number of votes that determined the results … Continue reading
“COVID is My Friend”: A Catholic Narrative on the Pandemic, By Isabella Daniele (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” Throughout my fieldwork at a local Montreal Parish, I encountered a recurrent narrative about COVID-19 expressed by both the priest and the parishioners. COVID, as … Continue reading
An Exercise in Social Activism Engagement, By Kaylee Tang (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” While I was doing research for my ethnography I found myself actively engaging in people’s story activities. On Instagram, stories can have interactive elements such … Continue reading
Can online communities become “Knowable communities”? By Isabella Daniele, Kaylee Tang & Tenzin Tsundue (Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge)
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Online Communities.” Imagine landing in a foreign village. How long would it take for you to familiarize yourself with the community, the surroundings, their norms, and cultural … Continue reading
Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge
The generation of knowledge about the world is the core mandate of ethnographic inquiry; and the content of knowledge – what it is, who generates it, how it is evaluated, contested and put into motion is a core theme of ethnographic research. Hence for ethnographers knowledge is double: it is what we seek to generate … Continue reading
The Promise of Education in Times of Social Acceleration and Advanced Liberalism, By Ximena C. Martínez Trabucco (Ethnography of the University 2019: Focus on Time)
This final paper was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum courses ANT473 and ANT6200, “Ethnography of the University 2019: Focus on Time” Think of this: when they present you with a watch, they are gifting you with a tiny flowering hell, a wreath of roses, a dungeon of air. They aren’t simply wishing … Continue reading
The Landmark Project: Mobilizing Temporalities, By Sarah McDonald (Ethnography of the University 2019: Focus on Time)
This final paper was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum courses ANT473 and ANT6200, “Ethnography of the University 2019: Focus on Time” Introduction Walking through the heart of St. George, the most memorable aspect of the campus is its old, castle-like buildings and expansive lawns. Sitting with David1, from the University of Toronto’s … Continue reading