Let me just start by saying how happy I am to be doing this independent study with all 3 of you! I'm looking forward to what is to come of this course.
With that said - on to the Seth Kahn article. I'm glad we got to reread this article; a chance to pick up information I may have missed the first time around! This time around I really put myself in the "ethnographic writer shoes" and tried to contemplate my own process and outcomes.
The necessary experimentation with voice, moves, and breaking out of essay conventions is awesome - and very exciting for me. This study is really a mixture of the two things I love most in academia - writing and the study of humans. Wooo hoo!
A couple aspects of this genre that I hadn't thought a lot about is the consent and the possible sharing of drafts with participants. The consent is obviously necessary, but what if you get turned down? I guess the lesson here is not to get attached to a certain culture/subculture until the consent forms are signed!
In addition, I must admit that the sharing of drafts makes me really nervous. How could their opinions alter my voice? How can I be conscious of this possibility and ensure that my voice is still in tact? On the other hand, I can see how sharing drafts could "heighten your awareness of ethics of representation", as Kahn states.
In this article Kahn writes about the fact that this requires you to write about experiences you are currently having, rather than ones you have already had. This brought me to think about Goldberg's chapter about how sometimes our writing about experiences is better when we are no longer in the middle of that experience. I am wondering how this will unfold through my writing within this course. Also - isn't it true that ethnography requires both - writing during and after the experience?
The experience he describes of his first ethnographic project intimidates me! While I know this is "worse case scenario", it is a possibility. However the point here is to be honest in a gentle way, presuming there are negatives found in your observational research. Another important take away from this article (this time around) is the possible effect on peoples professional lives. The [possible] repercussions of my writing must be deeply considered, especially if it is going to be published.
Overall, I am really looking forward to this course and how it will improve my critical thinking, observation, and writing skills.
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