Short Abstract:

Movement as a method can be employed to study both motion-related and unrelated topics. Drawing on experiences with walking, running and martial arts, this lab engages actively with the (dis)advantages of movement as a method in anthropological praxis. Registration via https://bit.ly/ethnomob

Long Abstract:

Practices of movement can be used to study both motion-related and unrelated topics. Moving during fieldwork is most commonly understood as a method of immersive ethnography in which the object and subject of research are congruent. This is often the case with sports, for example, which are researched by doing an apprenticeship ethnography in which the anthropologist learns how to perform the sporting culture under study. However, movement can also be used as a useful method of inquiry for topics not directly related to mobility. Long-distance running, for instance, has been employed to research difficult-to-reach rural areas and to establish initial contact with people living there. How can practices of movement help us to conduct better anthropological research? Partaking from movement forms such as walking, running, and martial arts, this laboratory will engage with the (dis)advantages of employing movement in anthropological praxis. To do so, we will engage with different aspects of anthropological research, such as (1) the gathering and analysis of ethnographic data 'in motion', (2) the use of visual methods in mobile research and (3) the role of movement at the writing stage. Through exercises, discussion and reflection we want to get a more embodied and emplaced understanding of the underestimated connections between anthropology and mobility. Participants (max. 30) will have to pre-register before the 14th of July via https://sites.google.com/graduateinstitute.ch/mobethno On this website you will also find more information and additional preparatory material.