Expressions of Gratitude

I camped at the faire's campground this weekend. From a scholarly standpoint, I got some great data and learned some things I had not known about how the performers at the faire approach their job. From the standpoint of someone who loves renfaires, it was a lot of fun to get to play behind the scenes and be treated like I was somewhat part of the cast for a while. And I have truly never tried to stay in character before as much as I did this weekend, which was a really valuable experience for a participant observer kind of ethnographer like myself.

But none of this would have happened if not for the people who assisted me and allowed me inside the workings behind the scenes. And for that, I must say my thanks. Ed Frederick, the general manager of the Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival, and Carolyn Cook, the cast director, were both quite understanding and accommodating, letting me into the "backstage" portions of the faire. But it was Bob Watters, the assistant cast director, who really advocated on my behalf, vouching for me to the bosses so that I could do this part of my research. Thanks a million!

Also, my Kickstarter proposal has been fully funded! (see earlier blog post) Several people made modest donations, for which I am quite thankful. And one individual, whom I have never met which makes me doubly grateful, donated $400 (see special thanks below). In my world, that's a lot of money.

I got a bunch of really nice interviews with performers, cast members, and the people who run this faire. I mean some really excellent insights! This week I'll be doing a lot of transcription (the boring part) from the recorded interviews to get it all onto a page. But this part of the process also lets me hear what people have said--again--and mentally process it moving forward with my research, long before I get to the writing stage.

Avast! Sorry there were no pirates in this post. It was Pirate Weekend, so I'll have to sort through my notes and photos and make another post this week about them.

Lots o' Loot

Alpha Kappa Delta
Sociology Honor Society

I had to try to get some kind of pirate reference in there, even if it is just the title.

This afternoon was the Awards Gala for the Sociology and Anthropology Department here at Ohio University. Lots of really awesome people got some recognition for some excellent work, both in research and teaching, as well as hard work done by undergraduate and grad students. And, as you can see, I was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society.

And there's more good news. I have been awarded the Shelly Fund, a research grant set up by Robert and Ann Shelly to support sociology graduate students in the collection of original data for their master's thesis. This award, which is for $900, will go toward covering the costs of travel and other related expenses as I start my field research. It's not nearly my whole budget for this project, but it sure helps! And I'm honored that they chose me and my research.

Speaking of field research--it starts in just two weeks! June 2 is opening day for my first faire site in this project. I'm pretty excited. I want to be more excited, but I still have more than two weeks of classes left this quarter, and the requisite papers to write, projects to complete, and tests to grade (for my GA gig), not to mention getting ready to teach my own SOC 101 class starting June 18. This is going to be one epic, nerdy summer for me. And I like it.

"Kickstarting" Field Research Funding

I've launched a small fund raising  project through Kickstarter to help cover travel costs for my field research on this thesis. I will be travelling to various sites, conducting interviews and collecting data. But, as we all know, gas is not cheap! (And really, that's the largest expense on this thing, along with things like food and batteries for my recorder.) So I'm hoping to supplement some of the costs through the generous donations of friends and other interested individuals.

When I say that every little bit helps, I mean it. The minimum donation is $1. Of course, I hope contributors will feel able to go for more than that. But helping with this does have a few small benefits, among them is the satisfaction of knowing that you contributed to an academic endeavor. (And if you happen to be a fan of renaissance faires, it will be that much cooler.)

Renaissance Faire Thesis Research

Please, click the link and take a moment to help out a grad student trying to do a little research. And...there are pirate photos in my funding proposal video.

Thanks to everyone who contributes, and to everyone who shares the link. You never know who you know who might be able to help too.