Due: Friday, November 9, by 3pm in Professor Leshkowich's office
Length: 150-250 words (abstract)

An abstract is a description of 150-250 words in which you summarize the essential points and findings of your paper. It is not meant to be an introduction, although it shares many of the same features of an introduction:

-o- statement of your paper's main argument
-o- overview of supporting points
-o- brief background information, if necessary
-o- mention of types of evidence to be used
-o- definitions of key terms which you will examine
-o- assessment of why your argument is significant

Although this abstract will be written before you complete the paper, you should write the abstract as if the paper already exists (i.e. use the present, not the future, tense). The goal of this exercise is for you to take some time in the midst of the research process to write a statement of what you expect your paper to argue. This will help you to focus the rest of your research, and it may also help you begin your writing. I usually keep my paper's abstract next to me throughout the entire writing process, as I often find that it presents a clear, well-organized, and persuasive summary of the major points I need to cover.

Samples of Abstracts:

1. Yulian Konstantinov, Gideon M. Kressel and Trond Thuen. 1998. "Outclassed by Former Outcasts: Petty Trading in Varna." In American Ethnologist 4.

People caught in circumstances of social upheaval differ in the ways in which they adjust to instability and change. Occasionally individuals at less privileged socioeconomic levels engage in socially devalued practices such as the small-scale trading enterprises that have been degraded ideologically during 45 years of communist rule in Bulgaria. In this article we explore the ways in which people adjust to change by examining ethnographically the practice of trader tourism in Bulgaria. We argue that such an examination supports a rethinking of the concept of boundaries, if boundaries are fluid sets of constraints that individuals negotiate when reacting to monumental stress. Specifically, we consider the reactions of population groups within Bulgaria to the post-1989 economic crisis. We also suggest that members of each group react in group-specific strategies of temporary inclusion, permanent inclusion, and exclusion.


2. Leshkowich, Ann Marie. 1999. " BIG FAMILIES IN A SMALL WORLD: How Female Entrepreneurs Use International Kin Networks to Shape Vietnam's National Costume." Paper presented at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Meetings, Boston, MA.

While economic and cultural globalization can threaten local producers and traditions, this paper suggests that it can also create opportunities for female entrepreneurs. Specifically, I examine how female designers and sellers of ao dai in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam use knowledge acquired through diasporic kin networks to craft and promote a garment which symbolizes both national tradition and international modernity.

In September 1995, the Miss International Pageant in Tokyo awarded Miss Vietnam "Best National Costume" for her blue and white brocade ao dai -- a long, close-fitting tunic worn over loose pants. For many in Vietnam, this award both affirmed the value of Vietnam's traditions and signified its incorporation into the modern global community. International recognition also boosted the ao dai's domestic appeal. Within days, stalls and shops throughout Ho Chi Minh City had posted pictures of the winner with signs promising ao dai "just like Miss Vietnam's."

This paper argues that the Miss Vietnam advertisements are part of Vietnamese designers' and sellers' ongoing efforts to market the ao dai as an amalgam of local and global influences. For advice about international fashion trends, these entrepreneurs -- most of them women -- regularly turn to their relatives overseas. They then use this information to develop new ao dai styles. In this way, Vietnamese women's traditional role as maintainers of kin relations now gives many of them access to global fashion influences. Incorporating these touches into their designs helps female entrepreneurs make Vietnam's "national costume" attractive to today's cosmopolitan consumers.

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu