Part Two: Doing Applied Urban Ethnography in the Neoliberal Age

Doing Applied Urban Ethnography in the Neoliberal Age 

 

CHAIR: NELSON, Andrew (UNT) 

MCFARLAND, Kelly (UNT) Urban Farming: Secret Gardens, Hidden Jungles, and Unexpected Farms in Plain Sight SANCHEZ, Saniego (UNT) Art Exhibitions and Programs as Vital Resources for Urban Applied Ethnographers 

BELL, Kayeron (K.D.) (UNT) Evaluating Neighborhood Needs for Social Programs 

JIMENEZ, Kat (UNT) (Trans)cending Dallas’ “Gayborhood”: Establishing the Need for LGBTQ Urban Mobility 

 

DISCUSSANT: NELSON, Andrew (UNT)

 

ABSTRACT: 

NELSON, Andrew (UNT) Doing Applied Urban Ethnography in the Neoliberal Age. As cities become increasingly deregulated and privatized, applied urban ethnographers encounter new approaches to community empowerment. In this panel, we present four different ethnographic examples of organizations and people employing tactics and strategies for meeting social needs in the neoliberal city. For instance, we highlight urban farms appealing to city-dwellers’ desire for ‘working the land,’ a museum organizing social science exhibits and talks, a community center developing programs for a historically neglected African-American neighborhood, and a transgender affirming initiative compensating for the uneven distribution of LGBTQ-oriented health services in the city. 

 

Session took place in Portland, OR at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2019.