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I was thinking about this some more and wanted to start a new thread that wasnât just adding to the anxiety of grad students & Jr faculty who love doing ethnography. So hereâs so ideas on how ethnography can survive. Please share ideas if I miss stuff. An evolving thread
https://twitter.com/theyoungjoo/status/1304875459998552075
https://twitter.com/theyoungjoo/status/1304875459998552075
1. We need to collaborate more! I think the days of âlone wolfâ ethnography, where we go off on our own for years and then spend years writing about it, might be limited. But what if we took a page from our quant colleagues and did more work in teams?
This would help us gather data faster. It would help us theorize faster. It would help us write faster. Not to mention, grinding solo can be lonely. So, perhaps we need to start training students to work in teams. Or we need to publish more with students
We can also jump on multi-method studies and contribute an ethnographic piece to a larger puzzle. This is a common practice in health fields and is something that can help us get more pubs.
2. Normalize the 3-paper dissertation option. Lots of folks are already doing this, but it makes more sense now than ever. Instead of trying to write a rough draft of a book, focus on a dissertation in which you publish all three standalone chapters as articles.
I wrote a dissertation that I thought resembled a book, but it changed SO much later as the book writing took off. So, I think the days of a rough draft of a book might be limited. Or, just know that this puts you at a big disadvantage on the hyper-competitive job market
3. Publish methods articles! We often fetishize the big substantive/theory articles in grad school, but methods articles often get way more traction and cited more. My sense is that you can do this early on, especially as you encounter dilemmas in fieldwork.
If youâre encountering an issue in data collection or analysis, chances are others have as well! So many of us treat our methods as an appendix, something that we tack on at the end of our work. But, it can be so much more generative than this
4. Jump on special issues! These often have a faster turnaround (vs a cold open submission), have a higher likelihood of a sympathetic review, and as far as I know committees donât really weigh them differently than other peer-reviewed publications.
5. Join or create a small writing group. This is a universal, but itâs especially important for ethnographers who spend so long collecting data. Other people can help shorten the time it takes to make sense of data.
I had a friend and colleague in grad school who would always hear me ramble on for 10 minutes about something that happened at my field site and then heâd say one thing or ask a question and it would lead to an epiphany. I guess this could also fit under #1 (see above) 
6. Start collecting data early on! I meet so many grad students who tell me that they are going to wait until theyâre done with classes and exams to begin fieldwork. This is too late imho. I think you gotta start in year 1 or 2 at the latest.
The added time in the field will reap fruit as you go on and develop close bonds with people who share their lives and stories with you. That trust takes time and this level of rapport / trust really shows when you read ethnographies.
Also, you can use your coursework to help you draft chapters of your dissertation and/or rough drafts of articles you want to submit. I did this at UCLA. Many of my class papers became early drafts of dissertation chapters. Itâs just one way, but it shaves down time.
7. Donât be afraid of rejection! I credit @jerolmack for instilling this in me when we were both in grad school. We grow so attached to our work bc itâs tied to people we care about. But that (and the fear of rejection) can make people sit for too long on manuscripts
He used to tell me that heâd get a draft into good enough shape, send it out, and expect a rejection and comments that would help him get it over the hump. Whatâs there to lose? Submit your work! And if it gets rejected, use the comments to improve it and resubmit again quickly
And at the end of the day, I believe that you gotta do what inspires you. Your work will be better because you love the fieldwork. I don't think I could make it through a PhD doing something b/c it's 'strategic'. The market is so unpredictable, so might as well do what you love.
