Studying the Gang through Critical Ethnography

This chapter outlines what is entailed in studying gangs through a critical ethnographic approach. A critical ethnography of the gang seeks to humanize the research subjects while fully exploring the environmental contexts of such groups as their members make their lives through their multiple identities, practices, social obligations, and relationships. This basic reconceptualization of these social actors emphasizes their agency, structured conditions, and history. Such a method of inquiry puts a premium on the reflexive approach of the researcher who is always struggling to develop a critical theory of the gang against the pathological paradigms of mainstream criminology through its methods of empiricism and positivism.

A Critical Ethnography of Myanmar Migrants’ Grassroots Multilingualism at a Chinese Massage Parlour

While China is broadening its gateway into South Asia and Southeast Asia, millions of foreign migrant workers cross the border and seek their transnational fortune in China’s border provinces. However, within the existing literature in migrant workers in China, language is rarely a research target in itself. As one of the important social actors language plays a key role shaping migrant workers’ life trajectories. Adopting Spolsky’s language policy theory and following the critical ethnography with migrant workers (Han, 2013; Mathews, 2011), this study explores the interplay of national polices of massage parlour management at a macro level, employers’ stipulations of managing Myanmar migrants at a meso level and Myanmar migrants’ language practices at micro level. Grounded upon critical sociolinguistic ethnography, data is collected from a China’s massage parlour at border town through the participant observation in and out of massage parlour, field notes, semi-structured interviews and documents. The study probes into how Chinese geopolitics of the wider process of regional development facilitates or constrains Myanmar migrants, how they mobilize social resources to expand their multilingual repertoires and how Chinese employer manages Myanmar migrants in language and life aspects. Findings reveal that there is no specific language policy at the recruitment stage. However, when Myanmar migrant workers start to work, language emerges as implicit but powerful medium streaming the likelihood of upward mobility. Other social factors, such as gender, nationality, religion and class also influence their mobility and integration into China’s local society. The study expands the understanding of language management and grassroots multilingualism in the context of globalization from below. Also the study provides implications on language policy making, migrants integration and education for migrants of multilingual backgrounds.

Public Health and Critical Ethnographies

This article analyzes characteristic elements of public health as a disciplinary field in contrast to critical ethnography. We carry out an exploratory, integrative review between 2010 and 2020 in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Health and social science databases were used, finding 620 relevant references, of which 64 were studied. The descriptors were ethnography, health, public health, social anthropology, and critical thinking. The articles were classified according to discipline and country of origin. Subsequently, we discuss the presence of ethnography in various public health works, the history of ethnographies, their diverse applications as methods, focus, social impact, and emancipation tools to demonstrate the existence of ethnographies. In conclusion, the main meeting points identified between public health and critical ethnographies were the visibility of researchers/professionals as subjects with whom research is conducted, the multidimensionality of the phenomena addressed, the recognition of issues that involve power tensions, the questioning of other knowledge, and the intention to carry out actions for communities to access health care.

Frontera, extracción agrícola y nuevas lógicas de apropiación en Talamanca, Costa Rica / Border, agricultural extractivism and new forms of appropriation in Talamanca, Costa Rica

El presente artículo busca generar una reflexión sobre cómo el cantón fronterizo de Talamanca (Costa Rica y Panamá) ha fungido como un espacio de oportunidad para la expansión del extractivismo agrícola (banano y plátano) y la transferencia tecnológica; y, al mismo tiempo, por su riqueza ambiental, ha sido un laboratorio para la conservación internacional. Demostraremos, a través de la etnografía crítica, cómo en este territorio las actividades extractivas se han ido diversificando alrededor del cultivo del cacao, introduciendo nuevas formas de extracción, como la apropiación del conocimiento local, la introducción de nuevas estrategias productivas y la modificación del material genético. Esto con el fin de transformar el modo de producción indígena del cacao para hacerlo más resistente y competitivo, e integrarlo a la lógica del mercado. Abstract: This article seeks to generate a reflection on how the border canton of Talamanca (Costa Rica and Panama) has served as a space of opportunity for the expansion of agricultural extractivism (banana and plantain) and technology transfer, and at the same time, due to its environmental richness, has been a laboratory for international conservation. We will demonstrate, through critical ethnography, how in this territory, extractive activities have been diversifying around cocoa cultivation, introducing new forms of extraction such as the appropriation of local knowledge, the introduction of new productive strategies and the modification of genetic material. The aim is to transform the indigenous mode of cocoa production to make it more resistant and competitive, and to integrate it into the logic of the market. Keywords: borders; extractivism; monoculture; cocoa; Costa Rica.Resumé : Cet article vise à susciter une réflexion sur la manière dont le canton frontalier de Talamanca (Costa Rica et Panama) a servi d’espace d’opportunité pour l’expansion de l’extractivisme agricole (banane et plantain) et le transfert de technologie, et en même temps, grâce à sa richesse environnementale, un laboratoire pour la conservation internationale. Nous montrerons, à travers une ethnographie critique, comment dans ce territoire, les activités extractives se sont diversifiées autour de la culture du cacao, introduisant de nouvelles formes d’extraction telles que l’appropriation des savoirs locaux, l’introduction de nouvelles stratégies de production et la modification du matériel génétique. Ceci, afin de transformer le mode de production indigène du cacao pour le rendre plus résistant et compétitif, et l’intégrer dans la logique du marché.Mots-clés : frontières ; extractivisme ; monocultures ; cacao ; Costa Rica.

Critical Ethnography as an Archival Tool

Due to the limitations of existing archival theories and methodologies, there are few clear options that allow underrepresented and marginalized communities to represent themselves ethically, faithfully, and responsibly in their own voices in mainstream archival institutions. As a result, many of these communities lack knowledge and fundamental pedagogical resources about themselves and their history in Canada. Based on research from the author’s one-year master’s degree, this article uses a critical ethnographic framework and oral history interviews to understand the archival needs of a segment of the Afghan diaspora that has long been settled in Canada. The Afghan Canadian participants agreed that digital archives could provide a solution to the community’s dearth of knowledge and material about itself – its own histories and stories. The research demonstrates that a critical ethnographic framework can be applied as an instrument in the archives in order to understand the desires, identity-formation processes, and representations of a marginalized community to ensure faithful archival representation.

The film's the thing : investigating the use of visual media and the pedagogical approach of Ontario's media studies curriculum

Media Studies now makes up one quarter of the mandatory English program curriculum for students, grades one through twelve, in the province of Ontario. Prompted by the recent changes in prescribed media requirements, this study explores the history and theory behind current Media Studies curriculum in Ontario to gain insight on how theses ideals function in practice. More specifically, this study involved a qualitative analysis in three major parts: a genealogy of visual media and media education that explores the motivations behind the study of popular meda; a discourse analysis of curricular texts that addresses current expectations for Grade Twelve media literacy; and finally, a critical ethnography of a Grade Twelve classroom in Toronto that provides examples of how the curriculum can be implemented when informed by critical pedagogy.

The film's the thing : investigating the use of visual media and the pedagogical approach of Ontario's media studies curriculum

Media Studies now makes up one quarter of the mandatory English program curriculum for students, grades one through twelve, in the province of Ontario. Prompted by the recent changes in prescribed media requirements, this study explores the history and theory behind current Media Studies curriculum in Ontario to gain insight on how theses ideals function in practice. More specifically, this study involved a qualitative analysis in three major parts: a genealogy of visual media and media education that explores the motivations behind the study of popular meda; a discourse analysis of curricular texts that addresses current expectations for Grade Twelve media literacy; and finally, a critical ethnography of a Grade Twelve classroom in Toronto that provides examples of how the curriculum can be implemented when informed by critical pedagogy.