An ethnography of linguistic anthropologists

[Leila Monaghan]

Apologies for cross-posting, please distribute to any other linguistic 
anthropologists you know.

Below is a formally approved Human Subjects participant solicitation 
letter asking for participants in an ethnography of linguistic 
anthropologist.  Yes, it is a crazy idea but thought we might get some 
really interesting results if we did unto ourselves what we do to 
others.  As I can't be at the upcoming AAA meeting I am particularly 
interested in recruiting people to tape conversations and sessions 
there.  I can fax release forms now or give people forms after the 
meetings for tapes they have collected.

all best,

Leila
monaghan at indiana.edu

-----------

Dear friends and colleagues,

I would like to ask your help in my current research project 
“Conservations: Documenting the Discourse of Linguistic 
Anthropologists” (Indiana Human Subjects Study #06-11513).

We are both a community who talks with each other—one to one, in small 
groups, at conferences, through our writings on the internet, through 
our writings in journals—and a community that talks about talk, 
language, communication, culture and community.  It struck me that an 
in depth ethnography of our community could both capture the dynamics 
of an active community—the social networks, the ways genres get 
constructed, how topics do or do not get discussed, and how discourses 
are part of a larger socio-cultural-economic framework—and document the 
different current intellectual trends that exist in this moment in 
time.  I see this an opportunity to both do what we talk about and talk 
about what we do.

I am interested in all discourses of linguistic anthropologists and 
those who associate with us—people from all phases of their career from 
senior scholars to undergraduates just thinking about the field and 
friends and family who have to deal with us being linguistic 
anthropologists.  I am also interested in the contrasts between those 
of us in large and small institutions, and between those of us who see 
ourselves as directly working in the field or working in some other 
area.

The operationalization of  being “interested in all discourses” is that 
I am recruiting volunteers willing to tape their monologues, dialogues, 
small group conversations or talk in institutional settings or 
interested in donating previously taped conversations to the study. I 
will be collecting tapes between now and December 31, 2007 {TIME 
REMAINING}.  At the end of the study, I hope to find an archive to keep 
these tapes so that future scholars may also have a sense of our 
generation’s conversations.

I am particularly interested in recruiting volunteers to capture some 
of the informal  and formal parts of the upcoming {XXXX meeting}.  I 
have pasted a copy of the information on the official informants 
release below, please contact me for a copy of the official Human 
Subjects Release.  All participants may participate openly or 
anonymously.

Thank you for your help with this.

Best wishes,

Leila Monaghan
monaghan at indiana.edu

--------------------------------

Study # 06-11513
INDIANA UNIVERSITY – BLOOMINGTON
INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENT


Dear Linguistic Anthropologist:

You are invited to participate in a research study.   The purpose of 
this study is to study speech and literacy events in the lives of 
linguistic anthropologists and how informal conversations and formal 
speech situations such as linguistic anthropology classes, seminars and 
conference panels and informal writings including e-mail and web 
writings lead to the creation of the discipline and discourse of 
linguistic anthropology.

INFORMATION
In this study you will be asked to tape record speech events you are 
involved with or give permission to be recorded by someone else or to 
contribute informal writing materials such as letters, e-mails or web 
log entries.  The speech events being taped can either be naturally 
occurring such as conversations or lectures or can be guided by 
questions such as “What was your graduate school like when you were 
there?”, “What have been the most important influences on your thinking 
and work?” “How do you do linguistic anthropology?”,“How is the way you 
conceive of linguistic anthropology different or similar to others in 
the profession?”, “What do you think the relationship between your 
general approach to anthropology and your written or other publicly 
available work is?” or any other questions about the genre that you 
think are important.  These same issues can also be addressed in 
writing. Audio tapes and written records are welcome at any time 
between now and December 31, 2007.

With your permission, notes, transcripts and tapes from these 
interviews will be archived at an oral history archive such as that at 
Indiana University.

RISKS
There are no foreseeable risks except those related to personal 
information being made available.  If you feel uncomfortable with the 
interview at any time, you may stop it or ask that certain information 
not be used.

BENEFITS
This study will be able to document the specifics of one profession is 
currently creating itself and give insights into the history of the 
profession, and into the general nature of professional socialization 
and the development of a specific genre of social science work.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Different levels of confidentiality are available to you.   You may 
have your real name used or a pseudonym.  You may also choose to have 
the interview taped or not taped and choose whether notes, transcripts 
and tape recordings become part of a permanent oral history archive or 
not.


CONTACT
If you have questions at any time about the study or the procedures, 
you may contact the researcher,  Leila Monaghan,  at the Department of 
Communication and Culture,  Ashton-Mottier, 1790 East 10th Street, 
Bloomington, IN 47405, (610) 529-0460, monaghan at indiana.edu.

If you feel you have not been treated according to the descriptions in 
this form, or your rights as a participant in research have been 
violated during the course of this project, you may contact the office 
for the Indiana University Bloomington Human Subjects Committee, 
Carmichael Center L03, 530 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN 47408, 
(812) 855-3067, by e-mail at iub_hsc at indiana.edu.

PARTICIPATION
Your participation in this study is voluntary; you may refuse to 
participate without penalty.  If you decide to participate, you may 
withdraw from the study at any time without penalty and without loss of 
benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.  If you withdraw from the 
study before data collection is completed your data will be destroyed.

PLEASE CONTACT LEILA MONAGHAN AT MONAGHAN at INDIANA.EDU OR 610-529-0460 
FOR A FORMAL RELEASE

FORM 1A & B: 11/13/06



--
Leila Monaghan, PhD
Department of Communication and Culture
Indiana University
Ashton Mottier Hall
1760 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-9700
(812) 855-4607
monaghan at indiana.edu