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]
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