Here’s an overview of Chapter 2 from my book, Mindful Ethnography: Mind, Heart and Activity for Transformative Social Research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7a98OJnOc&t=2s.  As with the other chapter summaries, it is set to music composed by Andrés Orellana (Abstract Apathy).

This chapter takes us to the first day of a new field enterprise and offers mindful ways of entering a field site and seeing it for the first time. Considering the human tendency to leap to evaluation, summaries, category-formation, and pattern-seeking, I suggest ways of slowing down those analytical processes, becoming more aware of our thoughts and feelings and creating more room to listen, and see, with our hearts. I’m curious what people think about my reflections on the term “reflexivity” versus “reflectivity.”  A guided meditation for first visits to the field begins around 6:00.

I hope this format is a useful teaching tool for introducing students to ethnography,  with, perhaps, some more general lessons for Life.