Summer school at USI on Ethnographic Methods
The Università della Svizzera italiana organised the 26th edition of its summer school in social science methods. The summer school took place during the second half of August. Other TdLab members attended a course during the first week of summer school and I attended the second week. Participating in the workshop "Ethnographic methods".
The course was held by Emeritus professor Karen O’Reilly who has been teaching this workshop for over 20 years. The attendees came from all over Europe and two researchers had travelled from India to attend. Many of the attendees were participating in the course because they had recently started or were planning a project in which they would be using ethnographic methods. Often, they had never encountered ethnography before. The academic backgrounds were very diverse, as was the level of seniority.
The days were divided into a classroom portion and a practical part. In between, we read in preparation for the following day. In the mornings, Prof O’Reilly would start by giving theoretical input. We traced the historical development of ethnography and its philosophical underpinnings and how these are judged today. Among many other topics, we explored what defines an ethnographic interview, what rapport is, how to gain access, and how to work with the collected data. Often, the class discussed the ethical questions of using ethnographic methods and what role the researcher can and should take.
In the afternoons, we worked on an ethnographic project of our own. So, we could immediately start using the information from the morning sessions and get hands-on experience. All participants kept notes on their experiences in the field and personal reflections. I chose to do fieldwork in the environment of the public pool in Lugano (see picture).
The week concluded with presentations from all the participants on their fieldwork. They presented their preliminary findings on their topic. But above all else, they shared their reflections on that week’s fieldwork. How had it been to observe, and what reactions did their presence elicit? And practical considerations like: What is the best way to take notes and how do I start a conversation with someone? This practical part of the summer school highlighted that serendipity and unexpected encounters are a legitimate force during the fieldwork and that some challenges are difficult to anticipate, only revealing themselves in the process.
(by Lisa Brombach – doctoral student)