Contemporary Ethnography and Inequality Workshop

The Contemporary Ethnography and Inequality Workshop showcases scholarship that uses ethnographic methods to address social, economic, and political inequality. The workshop offers a venue for leading scholars and graduate students to present ethnographic research and work-in-progress. Attendance is open to faculty and students from across Harvard, nearby universities, and throughout the country and globe. While regular attendance is the norm, visitors are welcome. The CEI workshop is supported by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Anthropology, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. We meet approximately six times each semester on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 PM Eastern time in William James Hall 450 (33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge) and via Zoom for those who cannot attend. 

Please note: the Contemporary Ethnography and Inequality Workshop is on hiatus during the 2026-27 academic year.

All Zoom invites will be sent through our CEI Workshop mailing list, which can be joined here: https://web.lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/lists/cei.lists.fas.harvard.edu/. To keep our community secure, when joining the mailing list, please use your university/college-affiliated email address.

Note to Harvard University students: Sociology 3327: Contemporary Ethnography and Inequality Workshop is the four-unit workshop course (SAT/UNSAT) for participating in our meetings from 12-1:30 PM. Consistent attendance is required to receive course credit. The CEI Workshop is directed by Gabrielle Oliveira, Jorge Paulo Lemann Associate Professor of Education and of Brazil Studies at Harvard University, and Dahlia Showalter, Assistant Professor of Sociology. The CEI Workshop is also grateful for support within the Department of Sociology from Christopher Winship, Diker-Tishman Professor of Sociology, Emeritus.