Jan 01, 20 writing in the wake of neoliberalism, where human rights and social justice have increasingly been subordinated to proliferating consumer choices and ideals of market justice, contributors to this collection argue that feminist ethnographers are in a key position to reassert the central feminist connections between theory, methods, and activism. Blackgirl blogs, autoethnography, and crunk feminism robin m. Key concepts queer theory heterosexual matrix performativity. At its most fundamental level, feminist ethnography is a qualitative research. Ethnography, discourse analysis, and activist research 1st edition. With this text, davis and craven have crafted a stunningly multidimensional, textured, provocative, and vibrant introduction to feminist ethnography. Jennifer mannings photo jennifer manning, phd student dublin institute of technology, ireland jennifer. But rather than foreground mens relationships to one another which classical ethnography does quite well, or womens relationships to men, perhaps a feminist ethnography could focus on womens relationships to other women, and the power differentials between them. They engage multiple perspectives and unpack deep theoretical, methodological, and political material in an accessible and transparent way. Jan 9 introduction to feminist ethnography read for first class on ereserve. This course explores feminist epistemologies and research methods. Two decades of feminist historical and ethnographic research susan dewey prostitution is only a speci. Pdf constructing a postcolonial feminist ethnography.
This study was a yearlong ethnography during which i observed an all girls afterschool club. While searching for the meanings of cultural norms and views in trying to understand the reasons for the use of certain behavior or practices for. Meeting the enemy a feminist comes to terms with the mens. The feminist ethnographers dilemma barnard center for research on women. Example methods methodology philosophy guiding principles lynn rollison, rn, bsn, ma, phdc what it is how it has been utilized to study people ethnography hallmarks of ethnography outsider ethnography insider ethnography feminist ethnography. An ethnography of wall street karen ho kang builds upon feminist sociologist arlie hochschilds concept of the second shift, and naomi wolfs. It serves as a critical dialog about the possibilities for feminist ethnography in the 21st centuryat the intersection of engaged feminist research and collective activism.
Women and performance 51, 1990 jan 16 feminist ethnographic methods. Fictions of feminist ethnography is an ambitious, experimental, comprehensive and learned book directed at a professional anthropological audience. This ethnography utilized participant observation and interviews. A view from a reading of diane bells ngarrindjeri wurruwarrin article pdf available february 2002 with 66 reads. Ethnographic experiences with female plantation and.
May 18, 20 the purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of women diagnosed with cooccurring disorders on the treatments provided by a state psychiatric hospital so that appropriate recommendations for changes in treatment may be made. Feb 22, 2016 despite these earlier studies made on womens experiences, feminist ethnography only emerged as a recognized method of inquiry in the 1960s and 1970s because of the growing feminist movements. We will focus on how feminist scholars challenge dominant theories of knowledge and the major methodologies employed in the social sciences and humanities. View feminist ethnography research papers on academia. Jun 27, 2015 this article explores the relevance of the ethnographic study of the internet for feminist scholars interested in families. But rather than foreground mens relationships to one another which classical ethnography does quite well, or womens relationships to men, perhaps a feminist ethnography. Despite these earlier studies made on womens experiences, feminist ethnography only emerged as a recognized method of inquiry in the 1960s and 1970s because of the growing feminist. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Feminist ethnography fall 2012 course description and. Judith stacey, can there be a feminist ethnography. For them, feminist ethnography can be characterized as a feminist. One of the difficult things about defining feminist ethnography is that in practice, the forms of feminist ethnography are nearly as diverse as feminist ethnographers themselves. Just as there is no single feminist epistemology, there is no single conception of feminist ethnography. Feminist theory first developed in the 1970s as result of profound changes in womens experiences and situations that led to a political movement.
Recent texts which fall under this rubric rely on unexamined notions of sisterhood and the recovery of lost voices. Women throughout the world are socialized to provide the vast majority of unpaid labor, including child care, food preparation, and other caregiving work. I find the book thoughtprovoking and highly recommendable because of the sensitive, critical and sometimes even surprisingly innovative handling of data. May 05, 2017 the remaining chapters examine various methods and forms of knowledge production associated with feminist ethnography. The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender. Feminist ethnography second semester, 2009 2 credits prof. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever i express sentiments that. Ethnography is primarily used in the following instances. Feminist anthropology is a fourfield approach to anthropology archaeological, biological, cultural, linguistic that seeks to reduce male bias in research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge. This article explores the relevance of the ethnographic study of the internet for feminist scholars interested in families. Meeting the enemy a feminist comes to terms with the mens rights movement. Davis and craven divide the book into eight chapters, the first of which offers a brief historicization of feminism s waves, as well as an overview of ethnographic methods. Feminist theory defined the term feminist theory is used to refer to a multitude of types of works, produced by a movement of activists and scholars in a variety of disciplines chafetz, 1997. This handbook provides an unparalleled, critical guide to its principles and practice.
Jan 01, 1994 fictions of feminist ethnography book. Shulamit reinharz here examines the wide range of experiments feminist researchers undertake. There is no original or primary gender a drag imitates, but gender is a kind of. Recent texts which fall under this rubric rely on unexamined notions of sisterhood and the recovery of. Despite these earlier studies made on womens experiences, feminist ethnography only emerged as a recognized method of inquiry in the 1960s and 1970s because of the growing feminist movements. Davis and craven highlight methods involving participatory action and political activism.
It was the time when there was a need to challenge the positivist dominated research practice. Recent texts which fall under this rubric rely on unexamin. Dec 21, 2011 the feminist ethnographers dilemma barnard center for research on women. Encyclopedia of gender and society feminist ethnography. The online world is an emerging field site for feminist. The online world is an emerging field site for feminist scholars investigating spousal, parental, and kin relations, one that opens up new. The club included 15 girls who were in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. They also emphasize the creative potential of feminist knowledge production through visual art, film, poetry, or fiction.
We will ask challenging questions about interdisciplinarity and the dilemmas of field research, including the fundamental question of whether there is indeed a feminist ethnographic. Kamala viswesweran discusses what feminist anthropologists and experimental ethnographers can learn from each other, and proposes new avenues for feminist ethnography. The majority of the clubs participants were african american girls. Origins, current status, and new directions gary l.
Feminist ethnography including cyber ethnography, photographic ethnography, and the autobiographical form autoethnography. We will ask challenging questions about interdisciplinarity and the dilemmas of field research, including the fundamental question of whether there is indeed a feminist ethnographic methodology. The online world is an emerging field site for feminist scholars investigating spousal, parental, and kin relations, one that opens up new arenas of study but also requires novel methodological approaches. A conclusion summarizes the main arguments and highlights their theoretical and political implications. Recent texts that fall under this rubric rely on unexamined notions of sisterhood and the recovery of lost voices. Ethnographic experiences with female plantation and apparel workers of sri lanka. The masking of subversion in ethnographic description in clifford, james and marcus, george, eds, writing culture.
The genesis of feminist thought in anthropology has been discursively embedded in the wider field of academic feminism and anthropological theory formation. Many feminist scholars have identified ethnographic methods as ideally suited to feminist research because its contextual, experiential approach to knowledge eschews the false dualisms of positivism. Critical ethnography was used and the data was viewed through the lens of intersectionality from the black feminist perspective. It sounded awkward, vulgar, and derogatory, and when i was asked if i was a feminist. I read a few of the chapters of this book for a course, and later in preparing for my own ethnographic work. In the first period 18801920, biological sex was seen to determine social roles, and gender was not seen as separable from sex, though it was beginning to emerge as an analytical category. Her goal is to help explain the relationship between feminism and methodology and to challenge stereotypes that might exist about feminist research methods. The remaining sections of this article concentrate on the main themes of. Feminist anthropology is a fourfield approach to anthropology archeological, biological, cultural, linguistic that seeks to transform research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge, using insights from feminist. Methods and activism at the intersection of neoliberal policy danaain davis, christa craven feminist formations, volume 23, issue 2, summer 2011, pp. It offers a systematic introduction to ethnographic principles and.
What is specific about ethnographic research how the ethnographic research process proceeds what are the methodological and ethical principles of ethnographic research how to do ethnographic fieldwork how to analyze and interpret ethnographic. Feminist anthropology is a fourfield approach to anthropology archeological, biological, cultural, linguistic that seeks to transform research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge, using insights from feminist theory. Its principal method is observational research conducted over time and motivated by a commitment to women. Davis and craven chapter 1 what is the\feminist in feminlst ethnography 9 ll what is feminist ethnography i a common question about feminist. Defining feminist ethnography a decentered approach. Various forms of critical ethnography might thus productively be read as feminist ethnography. Though the phrase feminist ethnography emerged only in the late 1980s, the discipline had existed long before then. This is not to say that feminist ethnographies do not share many things, but that the kinds of ethnographies feminists. I am going to discuss the development of feminist theories as to the sources of gender inequality and its pervasiveness, and the different feminist political solutions and. This collection reengages 20th century debates on feminist ethnography in a 21st century context.
In the first period 18801920, biological sex was seen. Anderson university of new mexico lnterpretivist movements in anthropology and sociology have recently merged with neomarxist and feminist theory to produce a unique genre of research in the field of education known as critical ethnography. Womens studies international forum 111, 1988 lila abulughod, can there be a feminist ethnography. Through a combination of lectures and workshops, we will ask how gender theory and feminist. The black womanistfeminism or black feminist thought movement comes out of the feminist movement of the 1970s and is a direct interface with the civil rights movement, as it recognizes that women of african descent in the u. As a means of gauging the historical production of feminist ethnographic texts, i propose to examine four time periods. Culture, or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic. Histories of feminist ethnography kamala visweswaran. Fictions of feminist ethnography university of minnesota press. Fictions of feminist ethnography by kamala visweswaran.
The 2016 2017 gwss colloquium series presents feminist ethnographies. The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender equality introduction my focus is the continuities and discontinuities in recent feminist ideas and perspectives. Naples draws on different research topics, such as welfare, poverty, sexual identity, and sexual abuse, to illustrate some of the most salient dilemmas of feminist research. Ethnography is one of the chief research methods in sociology, anthropology and other cognate disciplines in the social sciences. What makes ethnography feminist is that it is a form of research. Can there be a feminist ethnography crapanzano, vincent 1986. The journal of feminist scholarship publishes feminist. Race, gender, and the body in beauty service work liquidated. Blackgirl blogs, autoethnography, and crunk feminism. The proliferation of cybercommunities and computermediated.
Autoethnography is a form or method of research that involves self observation and reflexive investigation in the context of ethnographic fieldwork and writing. An autoethnography on learning about autoethnography. The literature on research synthesis methods is dominated by publications premised on positivist assumptions. Ethnographic research this chapter will provide information on. Boylorn growing up in rural north carolina i could have gone my entire life without ever hearing the word feminist.
Feminist ethnography and art practices by south asian women share a common base of fighting, resisting and dissenting against all forms of patriarchal domination, from the domains of the family to. Key concepts hegemonic masculinity patriarchal dividend. As a means of gauging the historical production of feminist ethnographic. The changing story of ethnography robin patric clair e thnography is a practice and an expression with a capacious historical past that necessarily includes philosophical, political, spiritual, and. The first time i heard it i didnt know what it meant. The feminist practice of ethnography sage research methods. A methodological reflection abstract over the years, feminist ethnographers have engaged in a debate critiquing the practice of ethnography.
Davis and craven chapter 1 what is the\feminist in. For example, feminist theory, and feminist research using multiple research techniques, has grown in reaction to the maleoriented perspective that has predominated in the development of social science neuman, 1994, p. An overview of the anthropological theories nurazzura mohamad diah head. Feminist ethnographers in the 1960s and 1970s sought to correct a male bias in the discipline and promoted the study of women. Fictions of feminist ethnography university of minnesota. If ethnography is understood as a written account of culture based upon observation or participant observation within the field, that is, in the place or context that culture occurs, is feminist ethnography. Ethnography now in its third edition, this leading introduction to ethnography has been thoroughly updated and substantially rewritten. In the process of reflecting on the nature of anthropology itself visweswaran devises an experimental approach to writing feminist ethnography. Although feminist ethnography is an emerging genre. Although feminist ethnography is an emerging genre, the question of what the term means remains open.
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