Warsztaty z dr Jonathanem Mairem / A workshop with Dr Jonathan Mair

On April 11 Dr Jonathan Mair from the School of Anthropology and Conservation at the University of Kent will give a workshop entitled “Surprise as method”. The workshop intended for English-speaking PhD and MA students that have done or are planning ethnographic fieldwork.

If you would like to participate, please send an email with your name, study programme and a very brief description of undertaken or planned fieldwork to Dr Jan Lorenz.

Please note that by completing the workshop Polish and international MA students will get awarded 1 ECTS point.

Surprise as method

Anthropological fieldwork is an opportunity to expose our habits, expectations and assumptions to the correction of surprise. Are the surprises we encounter our most important contribution to knowledge? Is there a place for confirmation of expectations too? How important is surprise in countering dominant expectations in anthropological theory?

In this workshop, I will speak about the role surprises have played in my research. Participants will be asked to give a short presentation on their own work and its relationship to surprise. Those who have undertaken fieldwork already will be asked to speak about an aspect of their experience that surprised them. Those who are planning fieldwork will be asked to anticipate the kinds of surprises they might encounter. Surprises might include cross-cultural challenges, personal discomfort and situations that overturn the expectations of anthropological theory.