The Ethnographic Method: Themes, Perspectives & Scope

On May 12, 2022, a Sociology Special Lecture was organized by the Department of Sociology, and approved by IQAC, Loreto College. On this occasion our invited speaker was Dr. Anasua Chatterjee, who is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at RKSMVV, West Bengal State University, Kolkata. She works on urban spaces in contemporary India, focusing on diversity, socio-spatial dynamics and aspects of identity and belonging. Her recent publications include Margins of Citizenship: Muslim Experiences in Urban India(2017, Routledge) and “Negotiating a Better Life: Emerging Trends in the Politics of Ordinary and Poor Muslims in Kolkata” (2019, Journal of South Asian Development).
The title of her lecture was he Ethnographic Method: Themes, Perspectives and Scope. This talk explored the specificities of the ethnographic method and traced a brief trajectory of its usage, from its predominant preoccupation with studying ‘primitive’ or ‘other’ societies as propounded by the founders of Social Anthropology to the more recent adaptations where the ethnographic method is used to unearth various aspects of modern societies. The talk, in particular, focused on the possibilities presented by urban ethnography to highlight the ways in which the method continues to find relevance in Sociology to make sense of key social issues affecting urban life in the contemporary times. In the process, it also dwelled on the changing role of the ethnographic researcher vis-à-vis the field of study. The talk covered a wide range of topics within ethnographic method; from Clifford Geertz’s ‘deep hanging out’ to recent developments in digital ethnography. This offline talk was attended by Sociology Elective students from both Semester 2 and 4.