Engaging a specific, not general, public: the use of ethnographic film in public scholarship

Abstract

Ethnographic filmmakers have long considered and debated the role of ethnographic films as tools for public scholarship. Perhaps because of their presumed accessibility, ethnographic films have been seen, on the one hand, as ideal media to convey anthropological material to the general public. On the other hand, they have been seen as specialized films that should not conform to mass media conventions or audience preferences. In my research on community-based rural development in the southeastern United States, I collaboratively create films to share my research with wider yet specific audiences including the participating and surrounding communities, development organizations and nonprofits, and extension agents and local government officials. This article will explore the process of engaging specific public audiences as a tool for both ethnographic research and an effective means to insert my research into relevant conversations about issues of rural development.