"Digital Ethnography" at VANDA

You are invited to submit a paper proposal for the panel “Digital Ethnography: Revisiting Theoretical Concepts and Methodological” taking place at VANDA - Vienna Anthropology Days (Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2020, University of Vienna, Austria). Due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vienna Anthropology Days 2020 will be organized online. The deadline for submitting a paper abstract is July 1.

Zusammenfassung

Beschreibung

Conference
Vienna Anthropology Days (VANDA) 2020

Date & Venue
28 September - 1 October,

Panel
Digital Ethnography: Revisiting Theoretical Concepts and Methodological Approaches

Organizers
Philipp Budka (University of Vienna)
Monika Palmberger (University of Vienna)

Abstract
Ethnographic research has the potential to dig deep into mediated personal relationships as well as into socio-technical relations in an increasingly digitized and digitalized world (e.g., Hjorth et al. 2017, Horst & Miller, 2012; Pink et al., 2016). In order to do so, ethnographers and anthropologists have engaged with a variety of digital and multimodal methods such as online ethnographic fieldwork and participant observation, digital storytelling, mobile and visual media elicitation, digital media biographies, and digital video re-enactments (e.g., Pink et al., 2016). Their research has opened up new knowledge horizons such as the changing emotional, normative or symbolic dimensions of complex social relations and cultural practices entangled with new digital media technologies.
This session provides room for critical and ethical reflections on theory and methodology in the field of digital anthropology/ethnography, including, but not limited to, the following questions:

  • Which theoretical concepts are particularly fruitful in the ethnographic and anthropological exploration of digital phenomena? 
  • How are such concepts entangled with methodological approaches and challenges, for example by reconsidering issues of collaboration, decolonization, confidentiality or intimacy?
  • How can we do participant observation when communication and interaction are increasingly 'individualized' and veiled due to digital technologies, particularly the smartphone?
  • Which forms of collecting, interpreting and representing empirical data do we aspire for?

This session invites presenters to revisit previous discussions and critically reflect upon current relevant debates in anthropology and beyond. Papers may be empirically, methodologically or theoretically driven.

Deadline & Submission
Please submit your paper abstracts (max. 350 words) online via the conference system the latest by July 1, 2020

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