Linguistic Ethnography in Barber Shoppen

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In the spring of 2014, I (and other brave MA-students) took a course in Linguistic Ethnography at Aarhus University. Our research group quickly decided to explore the field of local haircutting parlors. This blog entry tells of my field work at Barber Shoppen.

Barber Shoppen is ‘a wonderful place where men can be men without having to be filled with female products and girl talk’. In essence, it caters the wishes of men who seek the atmosphere and service of an old school barber. When walking in through their doors, I expected to meet beefy, mustached men in aprons giving close shaves, customers smoking cigars and enjoying a scotch in classic barber seats, soft jazz music playing in …