CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The Department of Sociology at Northwestern University invites you to submit a paper for the 25th Annual Chicago Ethnography Conference. This is an annual graduate student conference hosted by one of several Chicago-area Sociology departments, including DePaul University, Loyola University, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the new addition of University of Wisconsin – Madison. It provides a venue through which graduate students can share their ethnographic scholarship with one another and get feedback from faculty based in the Chicago area.

This year, the conference will be held in person on Northwestern University’s campus on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Students in all academic disciplines are invited to present their original ethnographic research. We take a broad view of ethnographic research. Papers can be based on a variety of ethnographic methods, including but not limited to: field observation, in-depth interviews, focus group interviews, autoethnography, visual ethnography, and other forms of qualitative research. Papers in all substantive areas are welcome. In the past, presentation topics have included culture, class, crime, education, ethnicity, gender, family, globalization, health and illness, immigration, medicine, methodology, performance ethnography, race, religion, sexualities, social movements, technology, urban poverty, and work and employment.

This year’s theme is “Worlds of Culture.” Ethnography offers a unique lens into everyday life around the world by interpreting the constant circulation of bodies, objects, and ideas through global networks. In addition to the topics listed above, students are encouraged to submit ethnographic research that interrogates the intricate dimensions of
group culture within both local and global fields.

Paper Submissions: To submit papers, please send an extended abstract of around 250 words, along with paper keywords, to nucec2024@gmail.com. Any inquiries may be directed to this email as well.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 26, 2024. All presenters will be notified of acceptance by Thursday, February 29, 2024. Participants will be asked to submit their full papers to the conference committee by Friday, March 15, 2024.