Advancing the Value of Ethnography

Advancing the Value of Ethnography

Contribute: Writing & Presenting with EPIC

Our library includes two decades of ethnographic work by practitioners across all sectors and industries, representing diverse roles and disciplines. Writing and presenting with EPIC is an opportunity to collaborate with fantastic people, get excellent feedback, refine the way you communicate about your work and your impact, and publish in a respected venue.

Opportunities to present and publish include:

  • Annual Conference
  • Learning & Networking Week
  • Perspectives (EPIC blog)
  • Talks and Seminars (online events)

This page includes discusses each of these formats.

Note: There are many other to get involved EPIC. Please also check out our Get Involved page here.

Annual Conference

Our annual gathering is the leading international conference on ethnography in business and organizations. Several types of contributions are invited, and this may vary somewhat from year to year.

Proposals for Papers, Case Studies, and PechaKucha, and frequently other genres like Film and the Graduate Colloquium, are invited through an open call for submissions. The submission period is generally January–February. Proposals undergo double-anonymous review overseen by independent program committees; the acceptance rate varies 20–35%. Authors of accepted proposals present in our main conference program; papers, case studies, and abstracts of other formats are also published in our open-access journal EPIC Proceedings.

The annual conference also includes Keynotes and other sessions such as Panels, Workshops, Town Halls, networking and social events, and other creative or multisensory activities. These are developed by program committees, who may invite speakers/organizers or solicit proposals and ideas.

To learn more about contributions to our annual conference, read about the current and past year’s events here.

Important note: Presenters and authors do not automatically receive free or discounted conference registration. All discounts are awarded through our financial inclusion and equity programs. This is because 40–50% of EPIC conference attendees are speakers, committee members, and volunteers, and as a small nonprofit organization we cannot offer role-based discounts without substantial increases to ticket prices. Equity and inclusion have been prioritized as a focus of scholarships.

Learning & Networking Week

Learning and Networking Week is our annual online festival of learning, career development, networking, and social events. Sessions are scheduled for time zones around the world. The program includes:

  • Tutorials: these are 3–5 hour mini-courses on ethnography, theory, methods, organizational impact, and professional skills.
  • Career Development Sessions: workshops, presentations, seminars, interest groups, and other kinds of sessions address topics such as job search, leadership, equity, consulting, wellness, and work/life.
  • Networking and Social Sessions: these range from interest groups and formal networking activities to lightly guided social gatherings and straight up fun.
  • Experiment and explore! We invite imaginative ideas and sessions that address pressing topics.

If you have expertise or ideas to share, please contact info@epicpeople.org.

Perspectives

Our blog Perspectives publishes expertise, reflections, book/media reviews, and other kinds of writing. Articles focus on all aspects of ethnography in business and organizations and should reflect EPIC’s commitment to the integration of theory and practice. They may address social issues or business trends that have a significant bearing on the context of ethnographic work; professional and work/life issues; and engagement with other disciplines and areas of practice. We invite critique and exploration as well as success stories and best practices.

You can propose to write an article, curate a series of articles, review books or other media, or surprise us with another creative idea! Pease contact info@epicpeople.org.

Talks & Seminars

EPIC Members gather periodically throughout the year to learn and explore methods and practices, theory, career development, and current topics affecting our work and organizations. Talks and seminars are held online and free to EPIC Members. 

We welcome ideas for topics and speakers. We also invite EPIC Members to send proposals to present their own expertise, skills, ideas, and creative new initiatives. In addition to benefiting our community, presenting is an opportunity to get feedback from excellent folks with a range expertise and develop new connections.

For details about submitting proposals please visit our Talks & Seminars page here.