In the Thick of It
In the Thick of It
Podcast Description
Welcome to In the Thick of It. On this podcast, we talk to qualitative researchers about how they do what they do, one method at a time. This is a product of the Public Ethnography Lab, housed in the Department of Anthropology at American University. We are a new center focused on making ethnographic work matter beyond academia. In these episodes, we dive into the behind-the-scenes of anthropology by explaining the choices, challenges, and creativity that go into qualitative methods. Hosted by Eva Rey.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes of ethnography, qualitative research methods, and the intersection of anthropology with activism, featuring episodes such as an interview with Dr. Manissa Maharawal on the use of ethnography as a tool for activism in urban social movements. Specific focus areas include eviction, race, displacement, and the role of qualitative research in addressing contemporary sociopolitical issues.

Welcome to In the Thick of It. On this podcast, we talk to qualitative researchers about how they do what they do, one method at a time. This is a product of the Public Ethnography Lab, housed in the Department of Anthropology at American University. We are a new center focused on making ethnographic work matter beyond academia. In these episodes, we dive into the behind-the-scenes of anthropology by explaining the choices, challenges, and creativity that go into qualitative methods. Hosted by Eva Rey.
When time is short, can ethnography still go deep? In this episode, we talked with Professor Thurka Sangaramoorthy about this. Dr. Sangaramoorthy is a Professor and the chair of the Department of Anthropology at American University. She is a cultural and medical anthropologist and global health expert with over 25 years of experience in community-engaged ethnographic research across the United States, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Her work focuses on the intersections of power, subjectivity, and care in global health systems, addressing issues like migration, infectious diseases, and environmental health disparities.
Her prolific authorship includes four books: She’s Positive: The Extraordinary Lives of Black Women Living with HIV (Forthcoming), Landscapes of Care: Immigration and Health in Rural America (2023), Rapid Ethnographic Assessments (2020), and Treating AIDS: Politics of Difference, Paradox of Prevention (2014). Her public-facing scholarship has been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes Magazine, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
Music Credits:
“Study And Relax” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Resources:
Read: “Rapid Ethnographic Assessments: A Practical Approach and Toolkit for Collaborative Community Research” by Thurka Sangaramoorthy and Karen A Kroeger
Watch: “STEAM Salon with Dr. Thurka Sangaramoorty” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Wi9UdacYY

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