Walking with Strangers
This book tells the methodological tale of a long term critical ethnography with a midwestern school district whose new language learning, transnational population was increasing. Rather than report on the findings of the study, the author shares the intimate methodological details of doing participatory ethnography of a school under transformation. Approaches aimed at shifting attitudes and possibilities included the use of Theatre of the Oppressed and analyses of monocultural mythmaking introducing new concepts. The author introduces an analysis of change that builds from a David Wood’s deconstruction of time. Taken all together, the book illustrates creative and novel ways to engage in social justice transformation with school partners using participatory critical ethnography.
Barbara Dennis is a peace and social justice activist, and critical educational ethnographer. She is a professor of qualitative inquiry in the Inquiry Methodology program at Indiana University’s, School of Education. She regularly publishes on feminist ethnography, critical participatory ethics, and methodological theory.