The CALL FOR PAPERS is now open!

International workshop
Paths Towards Reflexive Sociology: Ethnography Matters

Porto, December 10th/11th 2009

CALL FOR PAPERS
June 15th-October 30th 2009

Continuous development and changing nature of our society require a steady reflection on and revision of our ways of doing sociological research. Oftentimes, however, sociologists are faced with rigidly structured academic fields that force scholars to be cautious while choosing research topic and methods of inquiry. Nonetheless, social change has a direct impact on what we study, how we conduct research, and how we present our research findings.

Moving from positive science to reflexive science means a constant questioning about the social and political implications of social research. It also means being aware of the specific social effects generated by the researcher’s presence in the world he/she studies. PTRS: Ethnography matters invites papers that address these issues. We welcome submissions not only from scholars, but also from social practitioners and activists who have a first-hand experience.

The session will have two main focuses:

1. Ways of doing and reasoning
New research fields and questions often require not only changes in our research methods and techniques, but also a will to permanently embrace theoretical and epistemological questioning.We use visual materials, instead of only focusing on numbers and words, to make our studies more elaborate; we employ online questionnaires and discussion forums to collect data; we use statistical and qualitative software during the data analysis stage; especially, we submit ourselves to fieldwork harshness.Refusing the academic «state of grace» usually taken for granted, we are ready to reflect upon our work and our place when conducting social research.We encourage submissions that deal with unconventional ways of conducting social research and with the challenges and opportunities of a reflexive sociological craft.

2. Innovative Ways of Presenting Results
Unconventional ways of doing research are not only about employing «new technology» or «innovative techniques». They bring to the fore some of the social, practical, epistemological, and ethical impacts often disregarded in the academic world.Traditionally, sociologists have attended conferences and published peer-reviewed articles and books to share their research results with others. Nowadays, sociologists can’t ignore the growing demands issuing from the very same individuals and communities until now often reduced to the status of mere «objects» or «informants».We thus invite papers that address the nature of research results and new ways of knowledge presentation and dissemination.

Please send your presentation's title and abstract (max. 300 words), as well as contact details, to ptrs.porto@gmail.com.


Scientific Committee

Simon Charlesworth
Clare Hall (University of Cambridge)

Wiebke Keim
Department for Social Work and Social Policy (Fribourg University)

João Miguel Teixeira Lopes
Departamento de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)
Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)

Bruno Monteiro
Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)
Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Educativas (University of Porto)

Virgílio Borges Pereira
Departamento de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)
Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)

José Madureira Pinto
Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)

João Queirós
Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras (University of Porto)

Ariel Sevilla
Laboratoire Printemps: Professions - Institutions - Temporalités (Versailles University)

Executive Committee
Bruno Monteiro
João Queirós


Download the Call for Papers' poster and flyer (low res).