In terms of characterizing ethnographic places, “Ethnographies of Encounter,” pushes us to think about the contradictions, complications, and complexities of places/spaces. Spaces are produced and reproduced. These productions happen in multiples and due to multiple encounters and engagements with various groups. This text also thinks about the intimacy of certain encounters, as well as spatial knowledge. Using Mei Zhan’s work, in particular, the authors talk about worlding and the “awkward resonances that produce translocal encounters” (370). I think awkwardness in general is a great way to think about space/place. How is a space awkwardly produced? What are the tensions in a place? What fits? What’s juxtaposed?
