Translating anthropology into comics. Reflections on alternative forms of writing in the social sciences, based on *Mongolia: My Camel Is Called Charlotte*

Speakers: Charlotte Marchina (IFRAE)
Discussant: Chloé Paberz (IFRAE)

During this session, anthropologist Charlotte Marchina will present the comic book thatshe co-wrote with authors and illustrators Jim Jourdane and Naïs Coq, which makes some twenty years of research into Mongolian nomadic pastoralism accessible to a wide readership, whilst also introducing the profession of anthropology and offering a glimpse behind the scenes of fieldwork. Through a discussion moderated by Chloé Paberz, an anthropologist specialising in South Korea and the ethnography of creative practices (video games, animation, woodcraft), the session will more broadly explore the challenges of alternative forms of writing in the social sciences: what choices does a particular form of writing entail (visualisation, fictionalisation, collaborative work – by four, or even six! – authors)? What can be conveyed about the richness of fieldwork experience, anthropological theories, and the value of an ethnographic approach through these forms of writing? This discussion will provide an opportunity to examine the role of anthropology in a society where the value of the social sciences is increasingly being called into question.

Organiser: Justine Rochot (IFRAE) View e-mail