Constructing and Sharing Body Techniques through the Mediation of Things
The UCI Department of Anthropology Colloquium Series presents
"Constructing and Sharing Body Techniques through the Mediation of Things: The Translocal
Examples of the Hardcore Punk Scene and the Street Workout Movement (with a Reflection
on How Slippery Fieldwork Can Be)"
with Alain Mueller, Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for Ethnography, University of
California, Irvine
Thursday, November 10, 2011
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Room 3332
In this presentation, Mueller will briefly present some of his work on the the transnational hardcore punk scene. He will then turn to a more in-depth discussion of his current project on the street workout movement, and present some initial reflections on my fieldwork. Street workout refers to a physical activity mixing fitness, bodybuilding and gymnastics, which is practiced most of the time outdoors in public parks. It started in New York City, mainly in housing projects in Brooklyn, but it is currently spreading across the globe through the intense circulation of videos posted on the Internet. His main interest in this research is the construction and the circulation of specific body techniques related to street workout, with a focus on the role of mediation that "things" play in this process. In the second part of the talk, Mueller will engage in a reflexive discussion about the similarity between both these research projects in light of three aspects: (1) the modification of initial research question after his first contact with the field; (2) his physical engagement as an essential part of his ethnographic inquiry, and (3) the research results.
For more information, please contact Keith Murphy, kmmurphy@uci.edu.
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