The field research course brings students to Brazil’s Cacao Coast, in the Northeastern state of Bahia, to map changes in the region. Students put anthropological research techniques into practice to document the work of local leadership (lideranças) in five arenas: agroecology; race and gender; health; migration and tourism; and education and traditional knowledge. Supported by tutor-translators who were also subject matter experts, in the first half of the course, the teams undertake participant observation and do interviews at different sites. Time is reserved for daily fieldnotes, texts and classroom discussion, and collaborative analysis. During the second half of the course, the teams analyze their data, produce posters and a video of their findings, which are shared at a final community networking event for all participants. Each student also pursue an individual research question and write an final research paper. The group video, posters, and selected essays, in Portuguese and English, are linked below.
Local Leadership and Social Change in Brazil
FSS3210 / FSS4210 / ECH4210
Serra Grande, Uruçuca, Bahia
May-June 2022; August 2023
