The Ethnography Studio

We look forward to thinking through these questions together. Head to our website to find out more about Studio Days 2026! ethnographystudio.org

What makes a model a tool or object of ethnographic research? What can models allow us to envision or prevent us from seeing? What are the limitations and possibilities of models in ethnographic projects?

The 2026 Studio Days, hosted by the Ethnography Studio brings ethnographers together for a series of hands-on sessions focused on ethnographic engagement with “models”.

To find out more about this event and other Ethnography Studio happenings, head to our website: ethnographystudio.org

We asked: where does property exist? In a thing or an idea? What are the values, assumptions, or benefits of ownership? To investigate these questions we brought together 15 participants to discuss how issues of property arise in their work.

During the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Ethnography Studio and the architecture firm Multistudio hosted a collaborative workshop to think about the relationship between property and materiality.

What is the place of facts in the 21st century? How do facts shape the future of collective life? Is a new genre of facts emerging? Join us on Thursday September 4th, 2025 at 9am PT for “The Future of Facts in Latin America” publications virtual launch.

@aballes2.bsky.social @katieulrich.bsky.social @culanth.bsky.social @tapuya.org

Register for the event here: usc.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Read more about the project here:
sites.usc.edu/futureoffacts/

Members of the Future of Facts working group will reflect on these questions and two key outcomes of this collaboration: a thematic cluster in the journal Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society, and a blog series on Cultural Anthropology’s Theorizing the Contemporary.

What is the place of facts in the 21st century? How do facts shape the future of collective life? Is a new genre of facts emerging? Join us on Thursday September 4th, 2025 at 9am PT for “The Future of Facts in Latin America” publications virtual launch.

Read more about the event here: ethnographystudio.org/happenings/p...

Wrapping up our spring events recap, in January we held a peer-to-peer mentoring roundtable to support Anthropology PhD students at USC Dornsife. The facilitators were former and current Ethnography Studio members, @katieulrich.bsky.social mulrich, Melanie Ford, and Yesmar Oyarzun.

Adding to our recap of spring events: Studio fellow @emmajahodabrown.bsky.social ran a remarkable event at the Society for Cultural Anthropology Biennial, facilitating the workshop “An Ethnographic Moment: Poetry for Anthropologists.”

At this event Dr. Messeri shared her fieldwork experience with graduate students and presented her book "In the Land of the Unreal: Virtual and Other Realities in Los Angeles". @dukepress.bsky.social

More from our spring recap: in March, we hosted a workshop and talk by Dr. Lisa Messeri @Yale titled “Place: Real, Unreal, Hyperreal.” ethnographystudio.org/happenings/p...

At the end of March we explored more-than-empirical representations in a workshop about speculative ethnography with Dr. Steven Gonzalez @goetheuni.bsky.social. Read more about the event here: ethnographystudio.org/happenings/s...

We commented on some excerpts from her forthcoming book, "Beautiful Mystery" by Duke University Press.

How do we observe all the semiotic communities that inhabit our worlds? At the link below read the recap of our April conversation with the President of the Wenner-Gren Foundation, Dr. Danilyn Rutherford.
ethnographystudio.org/happenings/b...

Learn more about this event on our website: ethnographystudio.org/happenings/t...

Continuing our spring events recap, in April we learned how children and puppets as proxies bring to life ideologies of childhood and visions of a rosy future. Dr. Meghanne Barker presented her 2025 book “Throw Your Voice: Suspended Animations in Kazakhstani Childhoods”.

Read more about the event and students' work we discussed here: ethnographystudio.org/happenings/e...

YouTube video by Ethnography Studio Ethnographic Salon 2025

Watch the recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqP0...

Our main event this spring was the 2025 Ethnographic Studio Salon: Interference with Dr. Meghanne Barker, Dr. Jenny Chio, and Dr. Juno Salazar Parreñas
@youknowjuno.bsky.social, @aballes2.bsky.social, @katieulrich.bsky.social, @emmajahodabrown.bsky.social

We had an amazing spring full of events and visitors! We'll be posting over the next several weeks about some of our favorite moments.

Our main event this spring was the 2025 Ethnographic Salon: Interference with Dr. Meghanne Barker, Dr. Jenny Chio and Dr. Juno Salazar Parreñas @youknowjuno.bsky.social @aballes2.bsky.social @katieulrich.bsky.social @emmajahodabrown.bsky.social.

This is happening tomorrow (April 11) at 3pm PT! Please join us.

Find more information at ethnographystudio.org/happenings/e....

Black and white poster featuring an image of ripples of water interfering with each other. The text of the poster describes the details of the event, shared in the post.

Join us for the 2025 Ethnographic Salon on the theme of INTERFERENCE. Feat. our fantastic guests Meghanne Barker, Jenny Chio, and Juno Salazar Parreñas. Hybrid roundtable on April 11, 3pm PT. In USC MCB 102 or register for Zoom link bit.ly/Salon_2025. @aballes2.bsky.social