Cultures and Societies of Latin America virtual ethnography

Students in Dr. Barry Lyons' Cultures and Societies of Latin America course participated in a virtual field school in a village in the Andes mountains in Ecuador. Nine members of the village joined the class through Zoom to show and tell the class about their lives through a series of tours and interviews.

Students developed interview skills and gained experience through writing in their own fieldwork journals. Broken up into groups, students learned about work, agriculture and livelihoods; families, households, social networks and migration; and health and illness in the village, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic disruptions. At the end of the semester, they presented their findings along with questions for further study.

Participants in San Vicente appreciated the chance to teach students in the United States about their hometowns. One participant even spoke about how "happy she was so many young students were interested in her daily life and struggles," according to one of the students, Yoel Gonzalez. Wayne State University provided support for project expenses, including modest "thank you" gifts to the community.

On the last day of class, the class and the participants from San Vicente came together to celebrate the success of the virtual field school, with Anthropology Department Chair Dr. Andrea Sankar and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Stephanie Hartwell also joining in. A highlight was when Professor Gustavo picked up his guitar and the San Vicente participants sang traditional Carnival verses. WSU student Benjamin Simon and Dr. Lyons reciprocated with their own musical performances. The celebration concluded with another song from San Vicente, "Pobre Corazón" or Poor Heart, a popular Ecuadorian song about saying goodbye. In his final remarks, Professor Guizado invited the students and Dr. Lyons to come to visit them in Ecuador.

Read: Virtual ethnography with the Societies and Cultures of Latin America class

Yoel Gonzalez spoke fondly about the experience he received in this pilot program, saying it cemented his goal to become an anthropologist. His favorite part of the field school was the interview he conducted on his own. "It's something that I will remember for the rest of my life," Gonzalez said. "Overall, this was a beautiful experience. To be able to look into a completely different culture and share some laughs with people on the other side of the world is special. More research projects like this one should be conducted with students. There are so many important things to be learned through doing work like this."

Because this first virtual field school was such a success, the department is planning a new class focused on the field school in the spring half term.