Good and evil in a sufficiently unsuccessful interview

Jörg Hüttermann, November 2012

Mr Klausen is a friendly, well-kempt man, about 50 years of age, and greets me at the door. He is wearing a suit and tie and my first impression of him is of a rather inhibited man. On the other hand, he behaves as if he were used to interacting with people outside of the congregation. He leads me into the large modern building whose red brick façade has often  ... 

Ensouling the Mountain

Dan Smyer Yu, October 2012

This ethnographic film documents a pilgrimage of lamas, scholars, writers, filmmakers, and students to Mt. Amne Machen (Amne Machin), one of the nine Tibetan sacred mountains, located in Golok, Amdo, currently in Qinghai Province of China. Most pilgrims, as an integral part of the film crew, are both behind and forefront of different scenes. The film crew ... 

Thoughts from Shanghai’s Bund

Dan Smyer Yu, September 2012

I’m in Shanghai again for fieldwork. For my first book I was here half a decade ago working on the irrational, fluid nature of money and religion (Buddhism) among urbanites in China.  I returned with the same interest this summer but am developing more interest in “everyday religion” or “lived religion,” meaning that the practice of religion ... 

Youth studies and emancipation

Jayeel Serrano Cornelio, July 2012

The reflections offered in this blog are drawn from my experience having conducted doctoral work on youth in the Philippines.  Sponsored by the Asia Research Institute, my project was about what being Catholic means to Filipino youth today.  I conducted interviews and focus group discussions with around 100 tertiary students across different disciplines ...

Embrace – Dan Smyer Yu on film making

Dan Smyer Yu, June 2012

Embrace is my first professionally-intended film co-directed with Pema Tashi, a dear friend of mine. I also know his father well – everyone in Amdo [a Tibetan region] calls him Akha Parwa, a renowned radio broadcaster. His voice has resonated among Amdo Tibetans for at least four decades. I would not call our film a full visual anthropology project as both Tashi and I preferred to combine traditional documentary techniques and  ...

Reflections on video log

Raji Matshedisho, February 2012

The video log was captured starting from the corner of Goldreich and Banket Streets into Berea Park entrance in Catherine Avenue. It was captured during the visit of the film crew (Dorte and Anna).

Firstly, at the moment I began filming I immediately felt a separation between the video camera’s viewfinder and my eyes. While the camera was facing towards the park ...

Time, order, and the ethical in the production of ethnographic knowledge

Nathaniel Roberts, January 2012

Since coming to Max Planck I have begun to measure my readings in inches. Today I gathered the articles I have read over the last 4 weeks; combined with the pages of hand-written notes I have taken on both readings and seminar presentations, the stack was 4.5 inches high. Without the underlinings and marginal notes I have made, these printouts would soon be ...