This workshop explores how ethnographic pedagogy can be reimagined through the practice of walking. By introducing her principal teaching and research project, ‘Field in Action’, in which students conducted research by walking across both rural and urban areas of China, Professor Zhou will demonstrate how walking reawakens the sensory capacities of our bodies – to see, listen, touch, and smell – during fieldwork. Participants’ bodies interact with landscapes, infrastructures, plants, insects, and both human and non-human species while walking: these sensory experiences challenge the traditional ethnographic approach, which often positions the observer as silent, invisible, and passive. Reclaiming the act of walking highlights the importance of bodily engagement in fieldwork, prompting a reconfiguration of ethnographic methods by recognising the active role of the body in the field.
This workshop adopts an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating anthropology, cultural studies, pedagogy, and performance. The workshop aims to:
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Encourage participants to reconsider ethnographic methods by introducing the embodied experiences of walking.
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Present ethnographic case studies that invite participants to rethink the capabilities of the body and how these shape their fieldwork observations.
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Foster interdisciplinary and cross-cultural networking opportunities for participants from diverse fields, including, but not limited to, anthropology, art, performance, and cultural studies.
Key Information
Facilitator: Yanhua Zhou, IAFOR Global Fellow, China
Pre-registration is required to participate in this workshop.
Please complete this workshop sign-up form.
Max: 15 participants
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 16:45-17:35 | Toshi Center Hotel, Room 604 (6F)
16:45-16:50 Opening and Introduction
16:50-17:05 Case Study
17:05-17:20 Group Work
17:20-17:30 Sharing Outcomes of Group Work
17:30-17:35 Wrap up and Closing
