Ethnographic overview

Hey everybody - I had to leave early for a lecture the day we went over our paper overviews in class, so I wanted to post my bird's eye view of my ethnography and see if anyone had any additional suggestions! I hope everybody's drafts are going well - I'm hoping mine isn't going to be too much of a train wreck on Monday...

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From my personal experience with the readings this semester, I have particularly appreciated the writings that have very engaging introductions. Therefore, I will strive to start my ethnography off in a similar fashion, hopefully intriguing my readers and sustaining their interest. I would like to begin my paper with a personal account of my initial experiences and introduction to roller derby, along with a brief history and run-down of this sport – what is it exactly? How is the sport played? How did it start? How has it evolved and where is it now? From there I plan on utilizing my field-notes, interviews, and participant observation, to discuss the relationship between contemporary American feminism and roller derby. How do skaters perceive this dynamic? How do those outside the derby world interpret it? How has derby impacted the lives of these women skaters and their personal identities, self-esteem, and confidence? Through weaving in feminist theories and literature, I hope to connect my localized, personal experiences, observations, and interviews with larger, nation-wide issues of female identity and empowerment.

Finally, I intend on concluding my paper with a conversation regarding the potential and future of roller derby. For example, with the recent creation and expansion of “Derby Brats,” an Austin league for 8-17 year old skaters, how might this sport continue to influence future female generations? What can roller derby tell us about the future and direction of feminism? How does derby interact with contemporary American feminism? What spaces of possibility does this sport open up for women? How is roller derby growing and progressing from its original origins? Furthermore, how do I see my relationship with roller derby evolving and continuing? What reflections and conclusions have I personally drawn throughout my relationship with this recreational league?