Join us for the workshop „Prompting Ethnography: Experiments with LLMs in Fieldnotes, Analysis, Writing, and Reflexivity“ for researchers and students with intermediate experience in ethnography who would like to explore and critically discuss the potential role of AI in ethnographic research. The workshop will take place on October 29, 2026 (10am–2pm) at the Weizenbaum Institute in the Flexroom (A1_04), and will be led by Prof. Dr. Paula Bialski (University of St. Gallen & WI) and Prof. Dr. Götz Bachmann (University of Siegen). This workshop is organized by the Weizenbaum PhD Network “Research in Practice”, coordinated by Katharina Berr and Jana Heim, and supported by the Weizenbaum Methods Lab.
What could AI offer in ethnographic research and where does it flatten, overinterpret, invent, or produce false coherence and what new forms of reflection become necessary and possible? In this experimental and hands-on workshop participants will work through exercises involving scribbles, diary writing, analytical interpretation, essay drafting, and reflection. We will examine how LLMs can act as interlocutors, critics, and writing partners, sometimes through deliberately assigned roles, while also asking how researchers can retain responsibility for what is generated, revised, accepted, or rejected. The workshop is especially relevant for doctoral researchers, ethnographers, qualitative researchers, and teachers interested in AI and methodology. Participants are invited to bring short excerpts from their own scribbles, fieldnotes, or research memos, although sample material can also be provided.
The event is hybrid. It is open to QPD. To learn more, please visit our program page. We look forward to welcoming you!