Workshop with George Marcus,
Roskilde University, 29 October 2012

Weaving theory, method, and analysis:
Revisiting the crisis of representation

Organised by Ørecomm Centre for Communication and Glocal Change
Monday 29 October 2012, 9.30-11.30, Roskilde University, CBIT 44-3.40
Register below! Watch the webcast here!

The crisis of representation, instigated by George Marcus among others, irrevocably influenced anthropology and other social sciences in the mid-80s. Today the literary awareness which it inspired is taught in many classrooms and the perception of ethnographic truths as partial, committed, and incomplete ubiquitously accepted.

The purpose of this workshop is to return to the insight of the crisis of representation with the point of departure that even though the messages of the debate have been widely embraced we have still not found a satisfactory way to write ethnography while taking these insights into account.

Etymologically ‘text’ means weaving; a weaving of impressions and experiences. The academic text which is weaved from experiences attained through ethnographic work is not only an end product, but knitted closely with the continuous research process related to method, theory, and analysis.

But how do we acknowledge the process as inseparable from the product? How do we weave it into the product? How do we move past the linear conception of ethnographic research in order to better reflect the links between product and process? In other words: how do we move beyond the idea that a project is designed at the desktop after which the researcher enters the field to produce data, which is finally analysed and disseminated back from the desktop?

The workshop also asks George Marcus how he sees the crisis of representation today: What consequences has the anthropological self-criticism had for contemporary ethnographic practice? What are the most important challenges right now?

The workshop is open to all, but you are required to register. For more information please contact Nina Grønlykke Mollerup at ninagm@ruc.dk. If new to Roskilde University you may use this map to find building 44.