Monthly Archives: January 2024

I really enjoyed the writing style of Dr. Carwil Bjork-James. Engaging and vibrant, I found it very easy to stay on top of what he was introducing or describing in the introduction, and chapters 1 and 3. I also really … Continue reading →

In this chapter, the author points out that industrial revolution has ruined our environment and she calls for action to change how the society interacts with the environment. The most striking part of this text is of course the wild … Continue reading →

These two chapters brought up some good guides to both finding the ethnography research question/topic and how to best keep track of your ideas. As someone who loves and is used to writing scientific research papers, I had to think … Continue reading →

While reading these chapters, I was left with questions that emphasize the necessity for meticulous deliberation and deliberate implementation of this specific research approach.   Although ethnography offers a detailed and all-encompassing description of a social environment from the perspective … Continue reading →

In choosing research topics across all fields and methods of study, I’ve found that I tend to have what my professors call “very interesting ideas worth studying” with limitations they call “hard to achieve as an undergraduate in  one semester”. … Continue reading →

While reading these chapters, a couple of things stood out to me. Specifically, the notion that the ethnographic topic chosen should be in a constant state of evolution and change. It is emphasized that the topic should not only be … Continue reading →

In Chapters 2 and 3, Murchison (2010) provides a thoughtful overview of how the object of ethnographic study is shaped by first identifying research “problems” or questions then developing a research design that effectively addresses these problems/questions given the accessibility and … Continue reading →

Reading this text brought me back to many slightly less than fun conversations I had with my advisor while writing my senior undergrad thesis. He was a much more methodologically traditional anthropologist than I wanted to be, and we chafed … Continue reading →

In this reading, I found myself captivated by Tsing’s unique approach, and ability to explore the complexities of our world through the lens of the matsutake mushroom. Tsing’s research on the matsutake mushroom which is a species known to flourish … Continue reading →

Reading and annotating Murchinson’s chapters made me realise how much my own research projects need refining. I found myself trying to check all the boxes (find a topic that needs to be studied, that contributes to a larger body of knowledge … Continue reading →

This is my second time reading the earlier chapters of The Mushroom at the End of the World, and what stands out to me this semester is very different from my first time around: previously I was focused on Tsing’s … Continue reading →

As I read Tsing’s introduction, I found myself drawn towards the way Tsing frames her research and the book as a whole. More specifically, I was struck by the manner in which she assumes responsibility both as a researcher and … Continue reading →

Dating the start of the anthropocene to “the advent of modern capitalism” (Tsing 2015: 19) serves as a thought-provoking framework for situating the livelihood of commercial mushroom picking. By positioning the matsutake as both a post-industrial luxury of high economic … Continue reading →

I appreciated the way that Tsing’s incorporated reflections on methodological approach and collaboration within her discussions of entanglements. From the second page of text, anthropology and capital-R Research is explicitly defined by their rootedness in the very same entanglements: “Below the forest floor, fungal bodies extend … Continue reading →

What fascinated me in this text is the representation of mushrooms as a Janus-faced entity: one the one hand, the mushroom reveals the putative truth of human condition as precarious, and on the other, presents itself as one example of salvation through … Continue reading →