The CLCR Linguistic Ethnography Research and Study Group (LEDS) held its inaugural meeting on 22nd October 2014. The group provides an informal, constructive forum for discussion about a wide range of matters related to linguistic ethnography including its interface with ethnography more generally and with (British) anthropology. We hope that, as the group develops, members will be willing to engage in methodological and theoretical discussion. Our intention is that the group should have an inclusive membership policy (all welcome!) and that those who attend should feel able to participate in a relaxed, exploratory and collegial academic environment. Long-term, the group might facilitate future research collaborations but for now we hope that it will be a point of support and enjoyable sharing of ideas for anyone who is using, or considering using, ethnography, particularly with a linguistic focus or angle. Sometimes, meetings will take the format of a reading group, sometimes a discussion of data provided by a member, sometimes talking through a particular sticky challenge or question and sometimes, we will have a relatively open discussion and exploration, as at our first meeting. We will be very pleased to entertain other ideas for any type of meeting format, or purpose, and intend this to be a learning opportunity for us all. Therefore we will encourage members to take the lead in sessions about their own ideas, concerns and interests.
If you are thinking of joining LEDS or even just coming along to the occasional meeting, you will probably want to find out more about what we usually do. Our meetings are extremely informal and discussion-based. Someone will have volunteered to run each session but the onus is only on them to lead us, not to provide a traditional ‘presentation’ unless they wish to.
We are delighted to welcome new members near and far. We’d would be delighted to hear from anyone who might like to join our meetings via Skype…