WELCOME TO SSSWARM

"The space that SSWARM creates is sorely needed – one where openness and play are not only permissible but welcome, and where building community is a foundational activity.  It’s an example of the kind of direction possible in academia, one where rigor and generosity shape the ethos in ways that allow participants to grow and benefit in myriad ways." Prof. Elizabeth Chin, Editor-in-Chief, American Anthropologist

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Sydney Staff and Student Workshops in Anthropology, Research, and Methods (SSSWARM) is a postgraduate workshop series aiming to encourage dialogue and debate on the diversity of ways in which anthropologists understand, use, and reflect on research methods. This includes conventional ethnographic fieldwork methods, but also emergent methodologies developed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, transdisciplinary approaches, anthropology at home, anthropology in a decolonizing or decanonizing vein, issues surrounding citational politics, auto-ethnographic, engaged or applied methods, digital methods, and more. Led by student and staff’s respective research interests, the workshops offer an informal space for conversation surrounding ethics, positionality, reflexivity, and power, as these shape our relations with, and accountabilities to, our situated fields and field interlocutors, and to the discipline. 

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ABOUT ANTHROPOLOGY AT SYDNEY

Since its establishment in 1925, the Discipline of Anthropology has maintained a reputation for its critical insights into the contemporary world, for the breadth and variety of our ethnographic research, and for our outstanding commitment to the training of postgraduate research students. Our members and students use in-depth fieldwork and ethnographic description to capture the perspectives and experiences of people across a wide range of situations and communities in which people live today, from the global scale of transnational movements and organizations, to the rhythms of life in urban environments, rural landscapes, and nation states. The Discipline seeks to represent the breadth and diversity of contemporary social and cultural anthropology today. We have long focused our research and teaching on the regions of Oceania, Indigenous Australia, South-East Asia, and Latin America. We are continuously deepening and expanding our ethnographic and theoretical inquiries within and beyond these geographical settings. To find out more, click here.

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TESTIMONIALS

 

"As an academic staff member still finding my way in the discipline, I found the SSSWARM series to be illuminating and thought provoking. I always left with new ideas for my own research and writing. Indeed, sometimes I learned about wholly new subjects and methods to explore. Perhaps even more significantly, the SSSWARM series helped to rebuild a sense of community in the discipline at Sydney, promoting new conversations between graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and senior academic staff. Through these workshops, we regained feelings of our mutual endeavour and our durable commitment to the discipline." Warwick Anderson, Janet Dora Hine Professor of Politics, Governance and Ethics in Health, University of Sydney

 

"As anthropologists deal with novel situations, experience sharing assist new researchers in preparing themselves for difficult and unique situations. Personally, the feedback that I received from the audience of my SSSWARM presentation, and listening to all the other SSSWARM workshops, has assisted me immensely in learning new techniques and strategies to conduct successful ethnographic field study." Misty Shan-E-Alam, PhD candidate, Discipline of Anthropology, University of Sydney

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"The SSSWARM series is enriching for all those studying and working in anthropology ­ – students, post docs and senior academics alike. Each seminar is a space that encourages intellectual growth and supports the cross pollination of ideas and experiences." Cate Massola, Postdoctoral Researcher, Discipline of Anthropology
 

"As someone who has recently completed PhD fieldwork, I am loving these informative and collegial sessions which provide a much-needed space to talk about ethnographic methods. Each of the presenters has shared a different perspective with plenty of time to ask questions and discuss ideas. I particularly enjoy the mix of people in the discussions, from undergraduate students through to experienced anthropologists reflecting on lessons learned in the field. I have found the SSSWARM workshops an invaluable space to learn about the variety of approaches to research methods and to discuss my own ideas and research. This is an engaging and open space where everyone - from undergraduate students to anthropologists with a lifetime of experience in the field - is encouraged and supported to ask questions and share information. Taking part in the workshops has enhanced my final year of PhD thesis writing through broadening my knowledge of research methods, meeting academics with a diversity of research approaches, and through the support and engagement these workshops provide." Meherose Borthwick, PhD candidate, Discipline of Anthropology, University of Sydney

 

"SSSWARM offers a platform for students, research trainees and seasoned researchers alike to share their thoughts on methodology, realities of the field and the evolving relationship of anthropology with wider society. I've benefited routinely from these sessions as they've encouraged me to rethink the building of relationships, negotiation of positionality and ethnographic practice in a world rapidly being transformed by ever-changing global relations and innovations in technology, communications and security. For these reasons and more, I'd highly recommend dropping in to a Zoom or in-person session as you will be guaranteed thought-provoking conversations and, most of all, a community that understands the importance of a conscious, accessible and continually upskilling anthropology." Angela Wong, PhD candidate, Discipline of Anthropology, University of Sydney

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"As a PhD Candidate, participating to SSWARM series was an amazing opportunity to expand on some aspects of my research while getting feedback from fellow researchers, lecturers, and anyone else present. To get insights from such a various crowd was extremely valuable at this point in my thesis. It was also eye-opening and exciting to get to know other people’s research experiences, realities, and strategies. SSWARM has definitely helped me in clarifying some aspects of my research and in my writing process!" Gregoire Randin, PhD candidate, Discipline of Anthropology, University of Sydney

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"I have designed and taught courses on ethnography and just finished delivering a module on it, but all the thinking involved in doing all that is nothing compared to listening and talking to people who are doing ethnography." Dr Robbie Peters, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of Sydney

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"Getting together at SSSWARM and sharing experiences has given me so many great ideas and tips on how to kick start a field project!" Janelle Si Yi Yeo, Honours student, University of Sydney

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"Attending the SSSWARM has been very beneficial in many aspects. The wide diversity of topics, research areas, and professional profiles discussed in the sessions is a valuable aspect for researchers in the field of anthropology. Ideas coming from different fields can create connections with one’s own field in terms of methodological and theoretical frameworks. At the same time, SSSWARM offers a good opportunity to directly get in touch and to meet (whether in person or online) with very influential individuals in the field of anthropology. That is a great chance for emerging scholars and PhD students to build connections within the academic world that are positive for their professional development and future scholar career. There is no doubt that the dialogue SSSWARM enables is a definite instance of fruitful anthropological discussion that has a positive effect on the anthropological practice of the attendees within their present and future work." Carles Jornet, PhD candidate, Discipline of Anthropology, University of Sydney

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“The SSSWARM events have been interesting, rich, and engaging, providing a space for ethnographic researchers at all career stages to share and learn and be exposed to really different ways of doing research. Sophie has brought together such a varied and exciting group of scholars to share their reflections with the department (and beyond!). After the disconnect wrought by Covid, the SSSWARM series has provided a much-needed opportunity to engage with others face to face in the university context. For me personally, the workshops have functioned as a kind of intellectual home away from home, as I am working remotely and mostly interact with my colleagues online. The opportunity to be sharing experiences, methods, reflections, and ideas in person has been so important, and I wholeheartedly thank Sophie for creating a space that all are welcome in.” Mardi Reardon-Smith, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation

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"The invitation to participate in SSWARM was a huge boost in so many ways.  As I develop workshop-based research methods, the opportunity to prototype  with fellow anthropologists was invaluable. Being able to meet and spend time with Australian colleagues was such a treat, and hearing about peoples’ various works-in-progress was invigorating.  The space that Sophie Chao creates via SSWARM is sorely needed – one where openness and play are not only permissible but welcome, and where building community is a foundational activity.  It’s an example of the kind of direction possible in academia, one where rigor and generosity shape the ethos in ways that allow participants to grow and benefit in myriad ways." Prof. Elizabeth Chin, Editor-in-Chief, American Anthropologist

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"I found Dr Sophie Chao’s organization of the SSSWARM session extremely professional yet refreshingly informal. Dr Chao made it clear that the seminar had an informal style and was a safe space to test and discuss new ideas. I think this approach is crucial if we want to work openly and collaboratively on developing and strengthening the discipline. However, it is getting increasingly rare in a neoliberal academic world that for many is characterized by competition and insecurity. As my first participation in a SSSWARM seminar it struck me how warm and inclusive the atmosphere was. Dr Chao treated everyone with the same respect, inclusion and warmth, whether one was professor or PhD student, presenter or listening participant. I have not experienced that to the same extent anywhere else. I got the impression that everyone participating felt appreciated and seen. It was clear that people were returning to, enjoyed, and benefited from the seminar series as an intellectual-social event. For all of the reasons mentioned, I got the impression that SSSWARM is an exceptionally good space for community building and development for postgraduates and staff alike." Dr. Tom Bratrud, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo [READ A NEWS PIECE ON TOM'S SSSSWARM EVENT HERE]

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"Dr Chao was a gracious host and facilitator, creating a space that was both welcoming for me as a guest but also clearly also inviting for Sydney staff, students and other colleagues. The session fostered community-building and student-focused development to a significant extent, with students actively encouraged to contribute comments and questions relating the session to their own research. I was very impressed with how forthcoming students and early career attendees were, a clear signal of the open and engaged environment fostered in prior sessions. What was distinctive about this session was that it centred on methods and placing methods in the context of one’s own research. Academic seminars in the humanities very rarely focus on methods, which is a great pity given that we also make too little time to teach methods within graduate programs, and when they do they are in the abstract. Having researchers discuss the challenges and adaptations of methods in current and recent projects gives students and others an innovative perspective of “live” research." Dr. Timothy Neale, Senior Lecturer, Alfred Deakin Institute