Prof. Javier Auyero’s visit
There are few things more exciting for a researcher than sitting around a table with someone whose work they’ve read closely and has shaped their research.
Last week, we had exactly that opportunity when we welcomed Javier Auyero, Professor in Latin American Sociology at the The The University of Texas at Austin, Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Universidad del Pais Vasco EHU and member of our project’s Advisory Board, joining us at the Maastricht Sustainability Institute for a few days of exchange and discussions. We discussed ethnography, comparative ethnography, urban poverty and marginality, persistence strategies, and the next steps of our project.
During the seminar, the professor presented a preview of his new book Dark Governance in dialogue with Squatter Life and Things That Work, which offered us different perspectives on the governance of the margins – from informal relationships between illegal organizations and state power, to the initiatives of “persisting” grassroot organizations.
Across the workshop and more informal discussions, we continued reflecting on these themes and on the craft of ethnography. We discussed gaining access to the field, constructing the ethnographic object, and about capturing and respecting ambiguity and ambivalence not merely as a challenge but as a legitimate insight.
Taking advantage of Auyero’s experience, we reflected together also on the challenges of comparative team ethnography: how to manage coordination moments and efforts with fieldwork? how to navigate field differences? It was particularly insightful to reflect with him on this and hear about his experience, questions, and advice, and further refine our approach to our forthcoming fieldworks.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, as early career researchers, we took the opportunity to ask questions, discuss doubts, and reflect together; not just on this research, but also on the academic environment and career paths and what it means to be an ethnographer.
Three months before the start of our fieldwork, this visit felt like a meaningful moment of preparation and orientation, building our excitement for this next adventure. We are very grateful to Javier Auyero for his time and openness, and to our supervisors for making exchanges like this possible.
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