News

EPIC Announces New Executive Director

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It’s easy to forget that for many years EPIC was ‘merely’ an amazing annual conference. With the arrival of Jennifer Collier Jennings in 2014, and Rita Denny in 2019, EPIC has made the transition to a flourishing membership organization – a community with a year-round presence. In the collaborative space between these two individuals lies commitment, care, vision, vigorous execution, and an unfailing belief in the goals of EPIC and the power of this community. It is therefore with much gratitude, but sadness, that we say goodbye to Rita Denny, who has been our Executive Director since 2019. A leading…

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An Ethnographic Master: Suzanne L. Thomas

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Image of Suzanne L. Thomas

“Practiced masterfully, our analysis can be intense, immersive, rigorous, deeply collaborative, endlessly curious and profoundly social. Ethnographic masters revel in a detail overturned to reveal yet another. The result is the rendering conscious and ultimately visible the logics and patterns of human social life.” —Suzanne L. Thomas, The Martial Ethnographic Arts We were heartbroken to learn that Suzanne L. Thomas passed away. She was a brilliant ethnographer, joyful collaborator, wise mentor, and caring friend. Whether or not you knew Suzanne, we all stand on her powerful shoulders, and we hope you’ll join us in honoring her. “There is a Suzanne-shaped…

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Announcing EPIC Summits!

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What’s Next versus What’s Valuable: Ethnography in a Future-Focused World

We’re excited to announce our first EPIC Summit on May 19, 2022!  Our first Summit, “What’s Next versus What’s Valuable: Ethnography in a Future-Focused World”, is designed and hosted by Louise Vang Jensen (Partner & Director of Research) and Lea Møller Svendsen (Consultant) at Is It a Bird. What are EPIC Summits? It’s a new way for EPIC people to connect and collaborate in a lively virtual space outside the “Zoom box”. A more substantial (and more fun!) than a webinar, but more bite-sized than a conference, Summits are designed by EPIC Members to galvanize the incredible expertise of our…

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EPIC2022 Call for Participation!

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Resilience: EPIC2022 Amsterdam

Present at the premier global conference on ethnography in business & organizations—submission deadline March 31. Now in its 18th year, EPIC is a treasured annual gathering of practitioners who use ethnography to drive innovation and change. Our conference is an interactive, inclusive event that combines practical learning, global expertise, meaningful networking, and the inspiration and debate we need in a diverse, dynamic world. About EPIC Conference Conference Theme: Resilience EPIC2022 explores RESILIENCE—the ability to learn, adapt and evolve with adversity and changing conditions. Current health, climate, and social transformations foreground questions of who should flex, resist, or adapt; and what…

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Perspectives

Techno|theory Deathmatch: “Using Theory in Research” Read-along

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Image of game avatars from "Techno|theory Deathmatch"
A new cohort of EPIC members has just embarked on "Using Theory in Research"—a foundational EPIC Course taught by Kate Sieck, PhD (Senior Manager, Machine Assisted Cognition at Toyota Research Institute). We invite you to read along! In the first of six lectures and group seminar sessions, course participants explored what theory is and how it infuses our everyday work practices. Kate also covered the value of sociocultural theory, how it’s different from other approaches, its special value to work in business and organizational environments, and some foundational frameworks of society and culture. Kate recommended the following reading and listening for week one. Yep, that's cyborg-avatar Lucy Suchman with a WALL-E body. You'll also get to see Bruno Latour in Superman trunks. Have fun! You can also participate in the next course cohort. "Techno|theory Deathmatch" by Jay Dautcher, Mike Griffin, Tiffany Romain, Eugene Limb KATE SAYS: Certainly good methodological practices are important. However, our assumptions about people...
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