Where Do We Draw the Line? Autoethnography, Fiction, and Anthropological Genres

A talk with Associate Professor Emerita Inger Sjørslev

On October 23 at 2:30 PM, the Danish Anthropological Association and the Department of Anthropology invite you to an event with Associate Professor Emerita Inger Sjørslev titled "Where Do We Draw the Line? Autoethnography, Fiction, and Anthropological Genres." The event draws on Inger Sjørslev’s lifelong work exploring and challenging genres within anthropology—not least in her new book, *Kærlighedsarbejdet* (The Work of Love). The event also features a panel comprising Hans Lucht and Helle Bundgaard, both of whom have explored the communicative tools of anthropology in their own distinct ways. Together with Inger Sjørslev, they will discuss the possibilities and boundaries of genre within a discipline that is constantly challenged to both define and reinvent itself.

Program

Bios

Inger Sjørslev

Inger Sjørslev is an anthropologist, author, and Associate Professor Emerita at the Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen. Throughout her career, she has focused on ethnographic genres, publishing and contributing to several academic books on the subject, including *Sandhed og Genre* (Truth and Genre) and *Antropologiske Projekter* (Anthropological Projects). She has also communicated anthropology through exhibitions at the National Museum, columns in *Weekendavisen*, and the literary monograph *Gudernes rum: En beretning om ritualer og tro i Brasilien* (The Space of the Gods: An Account of Rituals and Belief in Brazil).

Hans Lucht

Hans Lucht is an anthropologist, author, and senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). For the past twenty years, he has conducted research on migration and smuggling across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean, with fieldwork in Ghana, Niger, Libya, and Italy. Hans published the award-winning monograph *Darkness before Daybreak* based on his work with African migrants. Since then, he has explored ethnography and genre, particularly through the documentary poetry collections *Vores liv ryster* (2024) and *Crusader* (2026). These books occupy the intersection of scholarship and literature.

Helle Bundsgaard

Helle Bundgaard is an anthropologist, author, and Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen. Helle's recent research focuses on women’s experiences with breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She explores ethnographic genres—including autoethnography and creative writing—as ways to gain deep ethnographic insight. She currently teaches ethnographic writing and serves as editor-in-chief of AnthroStories, a platform for experimental ethnographic texts and writing.