Exploration Seminars
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“Public Ethnography”
Chaired by Barbara Tedlock, professor of anthropology, University of New York, Buffalo, and Nancy Owen Lewis, director of academic programs,
School for Advanced Research, February 23-24, 2005

Co-Chairs
Barbara Tedlock, Distinguished Professor
Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Buffalo
“ Participant Observation, Public Ethnography, and Moral Entrepreneurship”

Nancy Owen Lewis, Director
Academic Programs, School for Advanced Research
Facilitator

Participants
Noel Chrisman, Adjunct Professor
School of Nursing, University of Washington
“Ethnographies Needed for Teaching Clinicians”

Michael Fischer, Professor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Emergent Forms of Life and Public Ethnography”

Gelya Frank, Professor
Departments of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy and Anthropology, University of Southern California
“ Public Ethnography: A Preliminary Market Approach”

Barbara Rose Johnston, Senior Research Fellow
Center for Political Ecology
“ The Praxis and Ethics of Public Ethnography: Power Relationships and Ethical Dilemmas”

Louise Lamphere, Professor
Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
“ The Nature of Collaboration in Public Ethnography and Reaching Beyond Academia”

James L. Peacock, Kenan Professor
Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
“ How Does Public Ethnography Link to Public Anthropology, Conceptually and in Practice”

Roger Sanjek, Professor
Department of Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York
“ How Books by Anthropologists Can Reach a Broader Audience”

Linda Whiteford, Professor
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida
“ The Role of Public Ethnography in Connecting the Local with the Global in Disaster Work”

Left to Right: Louise Lamphere, Gelya Frank, Linda Whiteford, Noel Chrisman, Michael Fischer, Roger Sanjek, Barbara Tedlock, Nancy Owen Lewis, Barbara Rose Johnston

Summary

Public Ethnography

In hopes of educating and moving the public to action, “Public Ethnography,” a short seminar chaired by Barbara Tedlock and Nancy Owen Lewis, developed a proposal for a book series on the topic that is “socially grounded and emotionally engaged, participatory, collaborative, and well-written.” Joined by SAR Press Director James Brooks in one session, the participants agreed that an editorial board for the series should mentor authors through the entire book cycle, from manuscript development and research to publicity and distribution.