EPIC2010 道 Dō / The way of ethnography
The start of this new decade marks an exciting new departure for EPIC, as we move beyond North America and Europe for the first time – to Tokyo.
EPIC is the premier international forum bringing together artists, computer scientists, designers, social scientists, marketers, academics and advertisers - and others! - to discuss recent developments and future advances around ethnographic praxis.
We seek original, high quality and engaging papers, workshops, artifacts and presentations concerning ethnographic praxis in industry, including case studies on research investigations, methodological & theoretical advances, discussions on outcomes, standards, and new applications of ethnography around this year’s conference theme:
道 Dō / The way of ethnography
Dō captures the sense of individual mastery that is achieved only with the help of a community and its rich heritage. Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic.
Dō is the "path" we have travelled and also the way 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).
Join Epic 2010 and help define Ethnography's 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 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.
As we enter a new decade we want to focus on defining the practice from within, exploring different applications of ethnography in industry and defining as a community what the future will hold for us. Come join us at EPIC2010 in Tokyo, one of the most innovative, but also one of the most traditional cities in the world – the perfect setting for exploring, learning, discussing, reflecting and defining:
道 Dō / The way of ethnography.
In the rest of this document you will find details about how to make submissions for the Papers, Workshops and Artifacts and Pecha Kucha sessions.
EPIC2010 Co-chairs:
Simon Pulman-Jones, GfK
Luis Arnal, in/situm
Hiroshi Tamura, Hakuhodo
For up to date information and further details please visit:
http://www.epiconference.com/epic2010
Send any inquiry about the conference to:
info@epic2010.com
To receive updates about EPIC2010 Conference, follow us on twitter (epiconference) or join the Linkedin group (EPIC)
Papers:
Extended Abstract Submission Deadline March 21, 2010
The Paper Sessions are the cornerstone of EPIC’s project to build substantial foundations for our growing and developing discipline. Papers are published in the conference proceedings, and should present new perspectives, new developments, and new work within our practice whilst at the same time showing the links between these new perspectives and existing or emerging literatures and debates. We also place a strong emphasis on presentation of the papers at the conference, aiming for the key ideas in the papers to be communicated in the most compelling and effective ways possible.
EPIC2010 seeks original, high-quality papers that reflect the full breadth and scope of ethnographic praxis in industry, including: conceptual development, research investigations, methodological & theoretical advances, design ideas, development experiences, discussion of what client constituencies do with findings, what constitutes successful results, considerations of representational practices and more. Submissions should report original research, reflections on theoretical concerns, methodological advances, or other insights that contribute to our understanding of ethnographic praxis in industry and help advance the state of knowledge for the community. We encourage perspectives from diverse disciplinary backgrounds.
Paper abstracts should be submitted in .doc or .txt or .rtf format. Paper submissions must include:
- Title
- Author(s)'s email address, affiliation and other contact information
- Proposed length of paper, if accepted (5 – 15 pages)
- Extended Abstract (< 750 words)
- Outline of full paper
- References to relevant literature or other types of previous work, if appropriate to your submission.
The extended abstracts will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- addressing the theme of 道 Dō / The way of ethnography (please indicate the dimensions of道 Dō which your submission addresses)
- implications for practice and theory of ethnography in industry
- significance to the community;
- advancements of methods, theories, applications and representations;
- originality, insight and creativity of the contribution.
Effective submissions will demonstrate clearly how they address the above criteria.
Contributions submitted should not have been previously published or be under simultaneous review for any other conference, journal, workshop or other publication. Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings published by Wiley-Blackwell in conjunction with the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA). Authors are required to attend the conference to present their work.
Please send extended abstracts by March 21th, 2010 to: papers@epic2010.com
In the email subject please write "EPIC2010 Papers."
Notification of acceptance notification will be by April 19, 2010.
The Review Process
Abstract submissions will be put through a double blind review process; reviewers will not know who the authors are.
Authors are encouraged to take care throughout the entire document to minimize references that may reveal their identities and their companies or institutions. Relevant references to an author's previous research, or their corporation’s products or services should not be suppressed but instead referenced in a neutral way.
Authors of abstracts selected for the conference, will be expected to submit full papers for publication in the proceedings. Papers of differing length will be accepted into the conference.
Important Dates:
| Extended submissions deadline March 21, 2010 | Deadline for Paper Submissions |
| April 19, 2010 | Author(s) will be notified of provisional acceptance of the paper based on the abstract. |
| May 23, 2010 | A first draft of the full papers sent to conference committee for complete review. Paper will need to meet publication style guidelines |
| June 13, 2010 | Reviewer's comments will be sent to the author(s) |
| July 23, 2010 | Revised papers addressing the program committees comments re-submitted |
| August 13, 2010 | Final copy for conference to publications chair |
| August 29 - Sept 1, 2010 | Paper presentations at EPIC2010, Tokyo, Japan |
Workshops:
Proposals Submission Deadline April 22, 2010
Workshops will take place during the conference and will form part of the main program. This year we are only accepting proposals for half-day (3 hour) workshops.
Workshops are intended to provide a forum for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, fostering conversation and research communities, learning from each other, exploring controversies, engaging in debate, envisioning future directions and elaborating new methods and perspectives.
Workshop activities can range from open forum discussion, to demonstrations or presentations with discussion, to collaborative activities such as structured brainstorming, illustrative games or role-plays. Whatever the focus or format, organizers will be required to schedule time for conversation, reflection, discussion, and debate. Although we envision most workshop activities to take place in one setting, let us know if your workshop will venture out into Tokyo.
- Workshop proposals should include:
- a summary of 500 words describing the theme(s) of the workshop
- a longer detailed description of the workshop structure, activities and goals
- the names, contact information and background of the organizer(s)
- the maximum number of participants you'd like to attend the workshop
- anticipated A/V requirements
Please be as specific as possible as it helps us in selection, and in helping you plan the workshop.
Workshop participants will be registered on a first come first served basis by the conference committee, so the workshop organizers will not be able to select their participants.
Accepted workshops will be publicized via the EPIC2010 website within a month after organizers are notified. Workshop organizers will also be encouraged to promote EPIC2010 and their workshops to potential attendees. Abstracts of accepted Workshop proposals will be published in the EPIC 2010 Proceedings.
Please send proposals by April 22, 2010 to: workshops@epic2010.com
In the email subject please write "EPIC2010 Workshop Proposal". Additionally, please include the email address of the main contact for the workshop, and any other contact details that will help us get in touch with you. Notification of acceptance notification will be by April 30, 2010.
Artifacts:
Proposals Submission Deadline May 2, 2010
The artifacts category seeks to provide participants with an opportunity to present work in a forum that facilitates open discussion and enables direct interaction with conference attendees. A dedicated session will be held during the conference to present the artifacts.
Artifacts can be anything from design sketchbooks, to reformed organizational processes, to ads you've produced, to products you’ve made, to short films, to conceptual objects, etc. We encourage submissions that are thought provoking and visually engaging, and which cover exploratory/speculative work, smaller projects, unusual representations of ethnographic work, and so on. The form of the presented materials is open. In keeping with the category title artifacts though, we encourage submissions based on some material instantiation that can be exhibited at the conference. Our hope is that it will be the "thinginess" of the artifacts that will, in part, prompt interaction with and between conference attendees.
Submissions should include a single page describing or illustrating the proposed submission (the one page inclusive of any and all figures and references, where appropriate). This page should convey to reviewers what the artifact being submitted is and how it is hoped to provoke discussion. The page will also be included in the published conference proceedings. Also included in the submissions should be a paragraph and image (no more that 150 words) that can be displayed on the conference website.
Please send these submission materials by May 2, 2010 to: artifacts@epic2010.com
In the email "Subject" please write "EPIC2010 Artifacts". Additionally, please include your email address and other contact details.
Notification of acceptance will happen by May 17, 2010. Accepted submissions will have their 150 word descriptions posted on the EPIC2010 website.
Descriptions (including images) of accepted artifacts will be published in the EPIC 2010 Proceedings.
The artifact itself should be transported to Tokyo for the conference
Pecha Kucha presentations
Proposals Submission Deadline May 9, 2010
Paying homage to the city where Pecha Kucha (pronounced: pe-chak-cha) presentations were first used, we will add a new category to EPIC2010. An informal, engaging and highly visual presentation of 20 slides, each one exactly 20 seconds, for a total presentation time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Pecha Kucha presentations at EPIC are intended to communicate quickly and efficiently various ideas related to Ethnography Dō. We encourage submissions that are visually engaging, loaded with thought provoking content and provide a strong point of view on a specific topic related to Ethnography Dō.
Submissions should include a single page describing the proposed Pecha Kucha concept; a brief 150-word description of the concept; and at least five slides which you intend to use as visuals in the presentation. This information should convey to reviewers what is the main point to be communicated and how it will be communicated.
Please send these submission materials by May 9, 2010 to: pechakucha@epic2010.com
In the email "Subject" please write "EPIC2010 Pecha Kucha". Additionally, please include your email address and other contact details.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by May 24, 2010. Accepted submissions will have their 150 word descriptions posted on the EPIC2010 website.
In case of acceptance, you will be required to present live to all EPIC2010 attendees.