Dr. A. Johnson
This course centers questions of gender, sex, and sexuality in an exploration of ethnographic practice and knowledge production. Through close-reading and seminar-style discussion of classic and contemporary ethnographies, we will ask how the ethnographer is gendered – historically, normatively, and in practice. We will examine how the embodiment and subjectivity of the researcher can shape their research, and how the range of choices made around this relationship come to shape the field of anthropology. We will also explore ethical issues related to fieldwork intimacy, and pragmatic questions of fieldwork safety, risk, and violence. Topics considered will include access, reflexivity, objectivity, authority, vulnerability, and voice. Students will complete weekly reflections, a presentation, and an analytic paper.