Teaching and Learning Ethnography in South-Εastern Europe: Making Sense of Cultural Difference in Familiar Contexts

When teaching ethnography and discussing anthropology in Greek universities, instructors endeavor to make students familiar with the study of otherness and introduce them to alternative ways of understanding social phenomena. How can we demonstrate ethnography’s potential, not only as an effective means of studying diversity and perceiving social realities, but also as a way of making a living? Such a concern requires revisiting the teaching process in order to better appreciate anthropology’s discipline and its method. This paper reflects on teaching experiences in various academic and non-academic contexts. It also discusses the practices employed, the educational objectives set, and the challenges and dilemmas dealt with when teaching ethnography in a Greek/Southeast European academic context.