Inaugural Ethnographic Research Colloquium features Shalini Shankar, Northwestern University anthropologist

The A&S Department kicked off our annual Ethnographic Research Colloquium on March 12, 2020 with a fabulous lecture by Shalini Shankar, Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University and 2017 Guggenheim Fellow.

Prof. Shankar’s visit was hosted by Professor Vora and involved a class visit with Prof. Vora’s A&S 231: Anthropology of Education students and Prof. Lee’s A&S 200: Research Methods students. Prof. Shankar’s lecture, “The Real Generation Z: Spelling Bees and Competitive Childhood in the New Millennium” discussed her research for her book Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal about Generation Z’s New Path to Success (Basic Books: 2019) and attracted a standing room only crowd of faculty and students from across the College to discuss the challenges and insights of ethnographic research. Her lecture was co-sponsored by the A&S Department’s Ethnographic Research Fund and the Asian Studies Program. Thanks to Prof. Vora and Joli Mellett for organizing and to Prof. Shankar for sharing her research with us.

Northwestern Professor Shalini Shankar. Photo by Jim Prisching