The Form and Flow of Teaching Ethnographic Knowledge: Hands-on Approaches for Learning Epistemology

Abstract

A glance across ethnographic methods terrain reveals multiple controversies and divisive critiques. When training graduate students, these debates and controversies can be consequential. We offer suggestions for teaching graduate ethnographic methods courses that, first, help students understand some of the common epistemological debates in the field and, second, provide them with hands-on activities to practice working within different knowledge traditions. Our ultimate goal is to offer graduate students a way to think productively about some common differences and controversies in the field. We formulate a metaphor that we call “form and flow,” and we see the first (or “tough-minded,” normal, and traditional approaches) and the latter (or tender-minded and disruptive styles) as patterns or movements within and across ethnographic traditions. Once students can grasp the different claims in these approaches and practice working within these traditions, we argue that they can become better prepared for their place in a diverse discipline.