道 Dō captures the sense of individual mastery that is achieved only with the help of a community and its rich heritage. 道 Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic. 道 Dō is the "path" we have travelled and also the way ahead of us.

道 Dō in ethnography symbolizes the dynamic between ethnography's internal strengths (its essence, our values, its heritage, its rigor and disciplined approach) and its applications to the world (to enhancement of people's lives, to innovation, to transformation of industries, to business growth). It is the "path" we have come from but also the way ahead of us.

"Do" in English represents action, execution and optimism. 道 Dō in Japanese is a call for growth, maturity and proficiency, recognizing our past and visualizing the future. It is a vision of what's ahead of us.

EPIC 2010 will feature a wide range of ethnographic applications in industry, different "ways" forward. Ethnographic praxis in industry is global in scope, but adapted to different geographies (Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Europe, North America), different contexts (academia, business, NGO’s, government), different industries (technology, healthcare, consumer goods, advertising) and different purposes (product innovation, strategy, interorganizational collaboration, communications, policy making).

Tokyo is the ideal setting for EPIC 2010. Tokyo is a world city, where innovation and tradition thrive. It is home to different 道 Dō, including sa Dō (way of tea), ka Dō (way of flower) and sho Dō (way of writing), and these 道 Dōs urge us to aspire for innovation within these traditions, see them as platforms for creative expression, and not simply assimilate them.

Join Epic 2010 and help define Ethnography's 道 Dō. Show others "the way" of doing ethnography in your context, in your industry, in your geography, for your goals.

We are looking to feature different aspects of Ethnography 道 Dō:

normativity: Quality standards, best practices, proficiency/mastering the discipline, benchmarks, rigorous process/outcomes.

specialization: Inclusion of new disciplines to enrich the practice, new contexts/applications of ethnographic praxis, new ways to do ethnography (online ethnography, etc.)

transmissivity: Taking to new heights, exploring new territories, opening doors, spreading the value of ethnography, communicating results in new ways.

authoritativeness: Tradition, recognition, acknowledgment /appraisal of the past, and solid foundations, deep reflection for inner strength and energy.

universality: Optimism, human values, path towards the future, balancing science + art, growth, innovation to be prepared for what's next.