Short Abstract:

Anthropologists have different ways of moving in, and negotiating, academic landscapes, fieldwork, conferences, professional networks, but access is always key. In this workshop we explore the paths of scholars as they are shaped by experiences of gender, disabilities, and ethnicity. A preliminary schedule for the lab is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16XMmnPeyAYhbsoOZE3mb2wAniGxdyEm-/view?usp=sharing

Long Abstract:

Since the reflexive turn in Anthropology, ethnographers have become increasingly sensitive to their own practice and lived experience of research, consciously attuning their bodies and minds to fieldwork. However, awareness of the material and bodily concerns that influence research practice has not entirely transferred into our engagements with academic institutions and their practices. Researchers with

disabilities are sometimes unable to access necessary support networks 'in the field', at conferences, and in their professional spheres. For early career disabled scholars with no funding, this exclusion is especially damaging. Similarly, the use of English as a lingua franca potentially excludes non-English speaking anthropologists from general academic discourse. While queer and feminist anthropology have a place within the discipline, these scholars are often active in the margins alone.

In this workshop, we invite participants to consider in what ways the presumed mobility of scholars stems from privileged, gender-biased, and ableist assumptions. We suggest three modules addressing topics relevant for anthropologists who's lived experiences of gender, disabilities, and ethnicity creatively inform their practice in: fieldwork; the production and sharing of anthropological knowledge; and careers as academics. We will discuss these topics in smaller groups using several techniques to engage participants with the varying bodily realities of becoming anthropologists.

The workshop is a move towards building a network of anthropologists engaging with these issues in and through their research. All scholars are welcome, especially those who experience and/or are concerned about restricted access and discrimination in academia.

A preliminary schedule for the lab is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16XMmnPeyAYhbsoOZE3mb2wAniGxdyEm-/view?usp=sharing

Attendees are encouraged to either attend all three modules or to simply drop in for the module that interests them most. Please email Harshadha or Rebekah in the case of any accessibility requirements and we will do our best to facilitate these. Our emails are: rebekah@kth.se and harshadha.bala@gmail.com.