Chan Wai Cheung Damon 50572759
SM4134 Visual Ethnography
Critical Analysis of Final Project
Thesis
On four revisits paid to the market in Yuenlong where my Aunt is working,
discoveries of people and objects become potential materials for me to wrap up my
memories and anecdotes belonging to that market. My new discoveries led me to
adopt methods of fabrication, which resulted in a creative work based on
autoethnography, the study of literatary woks and archive-making.
The research process is beyond my prediction and plans. As I have proposed, my
project is about my Aunt who is working in market. The important fact, however, is
that I didn’t come to the market by appointment which means she was often not there
out of my 4 visits. That’s why I shifted my focus of the project: Sheer observations of
the market in different time.
For each visit, I spent around 2 hours standing in front of my aunt’s stall in where I jot
notes and take photos. In other words, on one hand my extraordinary presence in the
market induces unexpected interaction between another aunt and neighbours around;
on the other hand, my research process became collecting and investigating objects
which are everything in front of me instead of following routes and rules I have
planned earlier.
Research Process:
Presence of me
Helping
Jotting notes
Conversations
Photographing
Aunts + Neighborhood
Objects
Asking questions about objects
Information
Categorization
Tagging
Captions made up for photos
Creative Intervention =
An archive in a free associative literary
style
p. 1
Chan Wai Cheung Damon 50572759
SM4134 Visual Ethnography
Standing to intensively observe around surprised me that I had a certain weird feeling
which is a mingling of familiarity and unfamiliarity: With my sudden and strange
presence, the market seemed being defamiliarized. I mean, firstly, a cliché is justified
that I saw totally different things when I was being there and seeing things as a stance
of researcher whereas throughout my life, I scarcely went there and even when I was
there I was always rushing and stayed just for a second. Meanwhile, personally
speaking, market is not only a site for me to research but also a place full of
complicated emotion and memories. Therefore, the whole research process turns out
to be a process of self-reflection which shares the bases of auto-ethnography and
performativity.
As a starting point, I would say the four visits I paid are very much on the basis of
performativity. [Explain what this means.] After changing my strategies of my project,
all initial objectives to research my aunt became less important; however, my
presence in the market inducing so many unexpected discoveries is of far more
significance for this project alternatively. My standing there disturbs the longestablished equilibrium of the market because usually no one would stand in front of a
stall with a camera or a pen and papers for a long while. And in view of being a son of
my mother who is often there to help my aunt, the neighbours became curious about
me. Conversation became a piece of powerful but invisible apparatus for me to probe
into their points of view and everything about the market and my aunt. Significantly,
each of my visit wasn’t given an obvious purpose and intention, instead I enjoy all
uncertainties happened to me. Therefore, each visit is a brand new discovering of
meaning of the market which is worth for documenting these ever-changing empirical
discoveries.
Referring to Auto-ethnography, in the 4 visits, objects and information which are all
recalling a lot of anecdotes and memories associated with this market and my family
convinced me to have deeper research for them. Then An Anecdoted Topography of
Chance and 王安憶《紀實與虛構》 and韓少功《馬橋詞典》 which popped up in
my mind inspired me to do something similar. Since then, the research process was
driven by the intention of collecting my elapsed memories which contribute to create
a hybrid work of auto-ethnography, literature and archive.
At this point, I did feel baffled when I noticed the research is too product/goal
oriented that what I did resembles an author having field research to grab inspiration
and information to write a novel. [I agree – this is the right comparison. Creative
intervention is an extra step beyond the regular analytical-report-writing in an
p. 2
Chan Wai Cheung Damon 50572759
SM4134 Visual Ethnography
ethnographic research. - Linda ] In a sense, the question, how a project is justified as
an ethnographic project confused me again because I find my approach is rather
unjustifiable as an ethnographic research. Though I followed very well the procedures
of creating documents and analyzing the materials I collected.
On the other hand, I would like to bring up one more key term, the “production of
space.” It is interesting that many of them, including my aunt have to avoid being
caught and sued by the staff from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
which executes regular raid on the market. It is because many of them violate the rule
of the use of space by setting up their stuff beyond the limits of the admitted
boundaries set by the government. The raid is a competition of pace that once they are
informed and notice that the staff of FEHD is coming, they have to remove the things
beyond the limits allowed before the staff come(this ritual is known as 走鬼). The
appropriation of forbidden spaces by them is a good demonstration of mild power
struggle via tacit and witty tactics. Personally, it is totally non-sense for the
Government to even burden their business and their lives by executing something
which is not meaningful for them. But who cares to help, resolve and improve the
problem for them?
In addition, my aunt does not treat market as simply a market, instead, her absence
from the stall most of the time and her raising cats are noticeable spatial practices by
which she is making use of the stall as her second home and headquarter for linking
up with her friends and her relatives. The market of which she conceives as a mere
haunt becomes nothing more than a representational space. That’s why she was
described as becoming millionaire by her neighbors because of her indifferent attitude
of selling while the fact is that she can hardly earn a profit in recent years.
To sum up, the project can be treated as an auto-ethnographic research which I
endeavor to collect memories and anecdotes attached to this market. Of course, at a
deeper sight of this project, shopkeepers in market which are different from
stereotypical thoughts are genuinely articulated as well as spatial narrative of the
market is included.
Damon,
This essay tells us you are a very self-conscious researcher, flexible, adaptive, and
capable of integrating key concepts in Cultural Studies in general. I agree with
your diagnosis of what you've been doing, accomplished, and the decisions made
to address reality.
p. 3
Chan Wai Cheung Damon 50572759
SM4134 Visual Ethnography
Many good points you've made deserve a bit more analysis or reporting. I am
very intrigued, for example, by the casual conversations you'd provoked in the
market place. That deserves more notes on self-narratives and the Goffman type
of analysis. You also want to consult, for example, Talk and Interaction in Social
Research Methods, Identities in Talk, Talk Talk Talk: the Cultural Life of Everyday
Conversation and so on to see what you can do. (Of course, this is for if you've
interested in pursuing further this project.)
Your aunt's spatial practice with the store has a lot of profound meanings to
explore...
Also, in what sense have you gained insight about yourself? If this is not crucial
to your research, in what sense are you using the term auto-ethnography? Or is
it a family-based auto-ethnography?
You've given us some minimum tips regarding the free literary treatment with
fabrications etc. in your creative work. Why not give us a clearer idea and
discuss it?
Well reasoned work overall.
Linda
p. 4