The concept smacks of magic: Fighting familiarity today

Good educational ethnography whether done by sociologists or anthropologists, makes the familiar strange. The history of that proposition is outlined, and five strategies available to all ethnographers focused on teaching and learning, whether sociologists or anthropologists of education or not, are outlined. The vital importance of the working hypothesis is emphasised. Key concepts from Lave and Wenger are criticised and compared to the long history of calls to make the familiar strange.