Welcome to the Tulane University Culture Workshop. In the culture workshop we discuss the latest social science research and hone our craft as publishing researchers in a spirit of support and inter-disciplinary exchange via peer critique.
About the Culture Workshop
What is a workshop? In a nutshell, it’s a place where work-in-progress is openly discussed and critiqued by peers. The idea of a workshop is just what it sounds like. It is not a space where lectures dominate, but where participants meet to collectively hammer-out scholarship. Workshops focus on work-in-progress that are critiqued and commented, with the goal of helping authors rethink, rework and polish their research.
It works like this.
- A written piece is circulated a week before the session.
- In the session the presenter assumes participants have read the provided document and gives a 10-15 minute introduction to the piece, describes the larger research agenda it is part of, and where he or she is going with it.
- A designated discussant begins with 5-10 minutes of commentary.
- For the next hour or so, there is an extended Q&A on the paper.
Why culture? Over the past couple of decades there has been a ‘cultural turn’ in the social sciences, with research increasingly looking at the role of ideas, values, rituals, and practices in social life. Cultural sociology is not straightforward. It requires discussion and debate to develop nuance of analysis and reflect on our own assumptions about concepts and methods. However, the most appropriate methods and concepts to use are still very much open to debate.
Why should anyone participate? For authors, it provides unparalleled feedback for the writing process. At the same time, workshops provide professionalization for graduate students in the process of moving from the role of knowledge consumers to knowledge creators, a transition that is not straightforward or intuitive. Workshops facilitate the all-important skills of civil critique and debate. In addition, by bringing in external presenters, workshops facilitate the development of professional networks.
Fall 2017 Schedule of Events
- "Religious Values and Development in Brazil" by Gustavo Di Santo, Universita della Calabria, Politics, Culture, and Development (October 27, 2017, 3:30 PM, Newcomb Hall, Room 314)
- "Retrospective Consecration Beyond the Mainstream: The Creation of a Progressive Rock Canon" by Dr. Timothy J. Dowd, Emory University, Sociology (November 6, 2017, 3:30 PM, Newcomb Hall, Room 314)
- "Contested Water: Water Resources, Market Policies, and Social Mobilization in Post-Authoritarian Chile" by Maria Akchurin, Tulane University, CIPR Post-Doctoral Fellow (November 13, 2017, 3:30 PM, Newcomb Hall, Room 314)
- "The Invention of Neo-Socialism: The Dynamics of Schism and Doctrinal Distinction in the French Socialist Party" by Dr. Mathieu Desan, University of Colorado Boulder, Sociology (December 4, 2017, 3:30 PM, Newcomb Hall, Room 314)
Spring 2018 Schedule - check back for more information.
If you are interested in participating in the workshop or keeping up with its activities, please let us know by sending an email to: dlagomar@tulane.edu as we aim to create a listserv.
Workshop Organizer:
David Smilde, PhD, Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Social Relations, Sociology Department
Stephen Ostertag, PhD, Assistant Professor, Sociology Department
Workshop Committee:
Mauro Porto, PhD, Stone Center for Latin American Studies
Workshop Coordinator:
D Lagomarsino, PhD Fellow in City, Culture and Community program