Abstract

In this seminar I describe multi-site ethnography as a method that could potentially overcome some of the criticisms levelled at traditional forms of ethnography. I highlight innovative aspects of multi-site ethnography and some of the challenges related to this method, making reference to my research in one South African neighbourhood created during the apartheid era. I followed young people across classrooms, hip-hop performances and a youth radio show, in an attempt to tell a bigger story about their lives more generally. Multi-site ethnography enabled me to critique the assumption that classrooms are unique, enclosed spaces where specialised forms of pedagogy happen exclusively, but it also provide many logistical and conceptual challenges. Dr Adam Cooper is a Research Specialist at the HSRC and research associate in Education Policy Studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is author of the 2016 book: Dialogue in Places of Learning: Youth Amplified in South Africa