The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnography

Collaboration between ethnographers and subjects has long been a product of the close relationships that define ethnographic research. But increasingly, collaboration is no longer viewed as merely a consequence of fieldwork; instead collaboration now preconditions and shapes research design as well as its dissemination. As a result, ethnographic subjects are becoming consultants rather than just informants. The emergence of collaborative ethnography highlights this relationship between consultant and ethnographer, moving it to center stage as a calculated part not only of fieldwork but also of the writing process itself.
The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnography presents a historical, theoretical, and practice-oriented road map for this shift from incidental collaboration to a more conscious and explicit collaborative strategy. Luke Eric Lassiter charts the history of collaborative ethnography from its earliest implementation to its contemporary emergence in fields such as feminism, humanistic anthropology, and critical ethnography. On this historical and theoretical base, Lassiter outlines concrete steps for achieving a more deliberate and overt collaborative practice throughout the processes of fieldwork and writing.
A comprehensive and highly accessible handbook for ethnographers of all disciplines, The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnography will become a fixture in the development of a critical practice of anthropology, invaluable to undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty alike.

Anthropological Forum

"I declare myself greatly satisfied by this book. It is a welcome reminder that in the pursuit of knowledge those who possess and are custodians of it should be rightly acknowledged."

— Susan Young

Luke Eric Lassiter is professor and director of the graduate humanities program at Marshall University Graduate College. He is the author or coauthor of four previous books, including Invitation to Anthropology.