Session: Wednesday 9th July PM (16.00 - 17.30)

Title: Ethnographic Portraits: Writing to Communicate

Convenors:

Dr David Mills (University of Oxford)
Dr Jane Dyson (University of Oxford)

Abstract Details

Artistic portraits illuminate and evoke. They hint at what lies beyond the frame. Ethnographic portraits do the same, revealing the complex interweaving of individual lives with the 'grand narratives' of politics and history.

In this informal hands-on workshop we explore the practice of writing, and of teaching, ethnographic portraits as a research method. After presentations by the convenors introducing ethnographic portraiture, two doctoral students - Peidong Yang and Hem Borker - reflect on their own use of portraits. Together, we discuss their analytical potentials and limitations, their communicative possibilities, and their use in qualitative methods training.

The level of the session is: Accessible

Presentation details

Presentation 1

Start time: 16:00

Presentation title:Introduction to ethnographic portraiture

Authors: Dr David Mills (University of Oxford)
Dr Jane Dyson (University of Oxford)

Presentation 2

Start time: 16:15

Presentation title:Reflections on ethnographic portraiture

Authors: Ms Divya Nambiar (University of Oxford)
Ms Hem Borker (University of Oxford)