Thank you OMT! Our contribution to the field was recognized with the 2023 Distinguished Educator Award. Although I was presented with the award, the Ethnography Atelier is a collective effort. I am part of a team of organizers – Giada Baldessarelli, Cameron McAlpine, Pedro Monteiro, Samantha Ortiz, and Kathrin Sele – who create the Atelier space. Together we plan and organize seminars, workshops, podcasts, blogs, and meet-ups intended to showcase the diversity of approaches to qualitative methods. The knowledge, ideas, examples, and experience that fill the Atelier come from members of our community who generously give their time and share their expertise. Those who participate in the Atelier, in particular early-career scholars who bring their questions and share their challenges, contribute to making the space lively and productive.
I like to think of the Ethnography Atelier as an anarchic endeavor in the sense that we are self-organized (independent of institutions), everyone participates on a volunteer basis, our focus is mutual aid, and we are allergic to coercive politics and moves. These principles are both organizational and moral. It is my hope that these intentions and values were noticed by the OMT selection committee and that this award signals their importance for the ongoing enrichment of our field.
Again, thank you OMT for recognizing us. We are honored.
