Research Related Quotes and Stories

1. From a Target commercial, seen on 1/17/2010. The commercial is a dramatization of finding $20 (possibly called the "Found Twenty Dollars in the Laundry Collection?). Near the end, there is a line in voice over that says, "Twenty green backs to spend on a little piece of joy."

[Ex. of material culture and emotions/emotion management]

2. David Sedaris, Holidays on Ice, "SantaLand Diaries": Sedaris gives a remarkable description of working in a themed environment with characters. In many ways he captures the essence of theme park entertainment work better than I could ever hope, with rich, humorous descriptions that seem to read better than my fieldnotes. After I read it the first time, I remember thinking, "Well, someone has already written my dissertation. But in a much more concise, engaging way than I could ever hope. And much, much funnier."

[A source to corroborate my observations from fieldwork on theme park entertainment work; could draw on his examples as well as my own when I write the dissertation; also good for methods appendix - what are the differences (similarities) in our goals, and how does this distinguish (my end product from his?]

3. Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy: The connections between this and being an unknown researcher are pretty obvious.

[Read it for methods]

Research Projects

1. Career Plans/Advice:

Career plans and advice may potentially represent a way in which to study how people anticipate when and how to employ cultural repertoires in the future. Career plans are narrative maps of the future filled with expected problems and solutions. There are better and worse plans. Those rooted in concrete goals and actions that also accommodate for potential obstacles represent greater knowledge of the occupation/occupational field and/or greater thought about the future, whereas a general plan like "to be famous" is a desired goal without anticipation for how to plan to become famous and possible issues that might arise in the process. Career advice on the other hand, at least some career advice, represents the transmission of knowledge from one person to another about potential obstacles and how they can be overcome. There is also a process of transmutation that occurs as experiences from one person's past become resources for problem-solving in another's future. Advice adds a dimension of history to the cultural repertoires people develop, a history that only becomes clear in the stories people tell.

How could I approach this project? One way would be to focus in on a single occupation and do in depth interviews, on-the-job fieldwork, and content analysis of any industry related material. The advantage here would be multiple sources of plans and advice, particularly the advice that gets transmitted in the process of socializing into a career. Alternatively two or three occupations could be studied, with an eye toward the role of social context in developing plans and transmitting advice from one person to another. Use only in depth interviews; fieldwork and content analysis would be too much for a single research project.

Acting seems like a particularly good locus of study. There are lots and lots of autobiographies that record professionals' experiences and expound the advice that results. Plus it might be a way to approach the Actors in Hollywood project I have always had simmering in the back of my head.