The founder of Institutional Ethnography (IE) offers a talk emphasizing her ongoing commitment to illuminate the lives of individuals, while simultaneously extending traditional ethnography to explore the extra-local ruling relations – from neo-liberalism to globalization – that organize everyday lives. Recently, Dorothy Smith has been using IE to explore changing management structures within the public sector. Shifting structures – often concealed to members of the public – are shown to impact the experiences of those who work in the public sector. This talk will move from illuminating how IE is conceptualized and practiced, to bringing into view what it has discovered about these public-sector changes. Alongside this intimate lecture, audience members will be encouraged to contribute their experiences. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration free, but limited.