Quaran-Teens 2020 Blog Series

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to examine Quaran-Teens 2020, a collaborative, digital, high school anthropology blog project during COVID-19 to demonstrate the effectiveness of auto-ethnography as a social science method, rhetorical writing style, and digital media pedagogy. The data are collected from a digital collaboration of two international baccalaureate classes at a private, international school in Memphis, Tennessee from March to June 2020. The content of the blog posts is analyzed in terms of critical self-inquiry, the social construction of society, storytelling, and ethical considerations. The findings show the effectiveness of auto-ethnography as a timely method of sociolinguistics data collection and persuasive rhetorical narrative approach, especially in times of digital media and cultural crisis, because it situates the individual both as a culturally produced and culture-producing person. The collaborative, digital nature of the project suggests ways to overcome the traditional limitations of ethnography and may be an effective strategy beyond the specific context.