When I first envisioned writing this blog, I imagined a kind of field journal - shared with others. The first time I sat down to write, though, that left me feeling very vulnerable and so I have written a couple posts that are more removed from the field. In this post, I’m going to share a bit about what my day-to-day has been like this past month on the postdoc journey.
I’ve been on the road a lot in October. I arrived in Regina - from where I live with my family in Hamilton - at the beginning of the month. I was present for some meetings at U Regina, happy to do my part in showing the flag for the IMP (Interactive Media and Performance) team! Then I flew to Edmonton for some meetings related to an interactive multimedia online educational project I’m working on - and was also able to spend some time driving in the area core to my current ethnographic work. Landscape is a powerful (and currently intellectually hip) aspect of culture and identity. I also met with a research participant and colleagues while in the Edmonton area. Then I returned to Regina for some meetings with research participants and colleagues in research centres - my favourite part of the job, and always an intense and productive learning experience.
I flew back to Toronto to have a meal and an evening with my family - before flying out the next morning to Cape Breton. There, I took some time to return items from the exhibit that had been on loan to us for that project - as well as touch base with some primary research participants and colleagues in partner institutions. I gave a talk, together with a couple colleagues, to a educational tour group that came through the area - and led a debriefing session the next day. After that, I flew with them home to Toronto.
All of that was accomplished before October 11.
Since that time I’ve been busy working on administrative matters - trips that like (there are others coming up) are productive and they require a lot of careful planning in order to make them so. (I am grateful for time in airplanes and airports - which means I can do things like transcribe interviews...something else I accomplished on this last trip!) I’ve written a proposal for a dance workshop I’ve been asked to give at U Regina in January (watch for notifications on the IMP website - join us if you can) - which dovetails with recent research on Aboriginal/Ukrainian relations and expressive culture. I’ve also spent time researching literature for my postdoc work - a topic largely unaddressed in ethnomusicology, but which history and sociology (and I’m looking for other material, too) have more extensively addressed. This has involved attending lectures at McMaster U campus here in Hamilton as well as reaching out to scholars in various fields.
In addition - I’ve finally managed to pick up some cheap bookshelves (moving is expensive) and make my books more easily accessible. (In case anyone's wondering - IKEA has some great sales on their bookshelves...the red ones are among the least expensive and make a peppy office!) I’ve recently been communicating with various editors in different regions of the country who have requested material for publication from me - now I can access my research materials as I continue to think through and write about my research.
All in this ethnomusicologist’s postdoc journey!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Connecting with communities
After my first post, I received some wonderful comments from a couple people - thank you! Both commentators had observed my activities “in the field,” and were wondering about how I make connections with communities and individuals. I thought I might begin to offer a response to those queries with today’s blog post.
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES
In my experience, individuals and communities who are actively involved in the production of music and dance and other forms of expressive culture often have many things on the go already. When I reach out to people, I let them know that I would value learning about what they are doing - after all, it’s why I’m interested! I ask them if and how I might get involved and what I might be able to do to support them. Be prepared to roll your sleeves up - this has involved serving community hall suppers along with the ladies’ league!
CONTRIBUTE
I’ve started singing groups, offered workshops and events where communities have been able to come together, arranged for the cleaning and careful storage of historical artifacts and documents, and helped people learn about their family histories. You might be surprised to learn just how much it often means to people - particularly our elders, who are often the culture and tradition bearers to whom we turn in this kind of work - to sit with them, listen, and in doing so let them know their life’s work and knowledge are valued. Some people like to have copies of the publications that I produce, to be able to quote from them for publicity or grant applications, or just to have for themselves or their friends to be able to read and enjoy. Several research participants have asked that I write reviews of their work - recordings, books - for community newspapers and magazines. One research participant asked me to contribute liner notes to a CD - saying that, since I’d been interviewing her and writing about her for years, she feels I have a sensitive understanding of what she’s trying to do with her music. This was greatly affirming - and also gave me an opportunity to learn to do something new, and write in a new format for new audiences!
SERVICE
In connecting with people, I find the best place to start is usually to ask them what is most important to them in what they are doing, and how I might be of service. Some people talk about this kind of service as “giving back” to our research participants - it’s also a great way to begin a research relationship, to get to know people and let them get to know you. Service to communities is a foundation of collaborative research, cited in the vast literature on the subject - it resonates with my understanding of my role as an academic and educator.
(Research relationships involve a lot of preparation that most often far less glamorous, though - stay tuned for a post on this topic in the near future!)
NEW OPPORTUNITIES ARISE
To conclude this blog, here’s a story I’m very proud to share. A leader of a Toronto-based cultural/educational organization called the other day to say he had heard good things about the exhibit I was involved in creating in Cape Breton - yay! - and to solicit my participation, as a consultant and speaker, in an upcoming educational excursion he’s planning for his group. I suggested a talk on the topic of “Communities and Cultures in Cape Breton,” and invited Gaelic and Mi’kmaq studies colleagues to join me in the presentation. This is one way my work - which has, I observe, come to national acclaim - provides exciting opportunities for scholarly and institutional collaboration, intercultural relations and teaching/learning together with communities. This story also shows how doing something for a research community can also end up providing a researcher with new opportunities in return.
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES
In my experience, individuals and communities who are actively involved in the production of music and dance and other forms of expressive culture often have many things on the go already. When I reach out to people, I let them know that I would value learning about what they are doing - after all, it’s why I’m interested! I ask them if and how I might get involved and what I might be able to do to support them. Be prepared to roll your sleeves up - this has involved serving community hall suppers along with the ladies’ league!
CONTRIBUTE
I’ve started singing groups, offered workshops and events where communities have been able to come together, arranged for the cleaning and careful storage of historical artifacts and documents, and helped people learn about their family histories. You might be surprised to learn just how much it often means to people - particularly our elders, who are often the culture and tradition bearers to whom we turn in this kind of work - to sit with them, listen, and in doing so let them know their life’s work and knowledge are valued. Some people like to have copies of the publications that I produce, to be able to quote from them for publicity or grant applications, or just to have for themselves or their friends to be able to read and enjoy. Several research participants have asked that I write reviews of their work - recordings, books - for community newspapers and magazines. One research participant asked me to contribute liner notes to a CD - saying that, since I’d been interviewing her and writing about her for years, she feels I have a sensitive understanding of what she’s trying to do with her music. This was greatly affirming - and also gave me an opportunity to learn to do something new, and write in a new format for new audiences!
SERVICE
In connecting with people, I find the best place to start is usually to ask them what is most important to them in what they are doing, and how I might be of service. Some people talk about this kind of service as “giving back” to our research participants - it’s also a great way to begin a research relationship, to get to know people and let them get to know you. Service to communities is a foundation of collaborative research, cited in the vast literature on the subject - it resonates with my understanding of my role as an academic and educator.
(Research relationships involve a lot of preparation that most often far less glamorous, though - stay tuned for a post on this topic in the near future!)
NEW OPPORTUNITIES ARISE
To conclude this blog, here’s a story I’m very proud to share. A leader of a Toronto-based cultural/educational organization called the other day to say he had heard good things about the exhibit I was involved in creating in Cape Breton - yay! - and to solicit my participation, as a consultant and speaker, in an upcoming educational excursion he’s planning for his group. I suggested a talk on the topic of “Communities and Cultures in Cape Breton,” and invited Gaelic and Mi’kmaq studies colleagues to join me in the presentation. This is one way my work - which has, I observe, come to national acclaim - provides exciting opportunities for scholarly and institutional collaboration, intercultural relations and teaching/learning together with communities. This story also shows how doing something for a research community can also end up providing a researcher with new opportunities in return.
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