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Rhetoric vs Reality in research A one day symposium: Thursday July 15th 2010, Queen Mary University of London Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15th May, 2010 Contemporary methodological debates within social sciences have increasingly focused upon the recognition of research positions as multiple, flexible and fashioned through a process of interaction. Questions of emotion, embodiment and the performativity of place within research encounters are at the forefront of such discussions and reflection. This emphasis upon studying relational and emotional relationships to place raises particular methodological challenges, whereupon there has been a call to both develop new techniques and to adapt and enliven traditional methods in order to recognize and reflect upon the routine, emotional and embodied aspects of everyday social worlds, lives and interactions. Running alongside such debates has been a broader concern with the ethical implications of research and breadth of dissemination. Yet there has been relatively little critical reflection upon what impact these debates have had upon the realities of research practice. Furthermore we contend that the ?messy? practicalities involved in the actual ?doing? of research often get lost or obscured through the very nature of the writing up process. This one day symposium aims to promote discussion concerning methodological developments in Geography, their impact in practice and the gap between the rhetoric and reality of carrying out research. The two keynote speakers at the conference are -- Eric Laurier (University of Edinburgh) -- Erene Kaptani (Playback South Theatre Company) The conference will also have two paper sessions followed by a roundtable discussion with the following speakers as panellists -- Alan Latham (University College London) -- Isabel Dyck (Queen Mary, University of London) Call for papers:- We invite participants at all stages of their careers, to come and take part. Papers are encouraged on but not limited to the following themes:- -- Capturing sensory data -- Emotion and embodiment in research methodologies -- Positionality, power relations and ethics in the field -- Employing new methods ? the visual turn? -- The politics of writing up -- Activism and dissemination Alternative presentations and departures from the standard paper format are also welcomed. If you would like to present a paper at the conference, please send an abstract of no more than 250 words to both Imogen Wallace ([log in to unmask]) and Subhadra Roy ([log in to unmask]) by May 15th, 2010 at the latest. The selection committee will inform contributors of the decision in the following week. Thanks to funding from QMUL Geography Department and the Roberts Fund, the conference is free but places are limited, please register to secure attendance with Subhadra Roy ([log in to unmask]). -- Subhadra Roy Research student Department of Geography Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS [log in to unmask]