Researching the relational/sociable self: Methods, Privacy, Ethics

We invite doctoral students from a range of disciplines ­ including media and communication studies, information science, sociology, philosophy, and political science ­ to participate in this interdisciplinary PhD course.

27. Nov. 2013 09:15 -  28. Nov. 2013 17:00

Co-organizers:

Charles Ess  (http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/personer/vit/charlees/index.html)
(Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo)

Stine Lomborg  (http://mcc.ku.dk/staff/presentation/?id=293359&f=3)
(Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, University of Copenhagen)  

Additional lecturers / mentors:

Hallvard Fossheim, Director, (Norwegian) National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH)

Annette Markham, Visiting Professor, School of Commmunication, Loyola University / Guest Professor, Informatics, Umeå University

Espen Ytreberg, Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo

Background

Especially over the last decade or so, both social science and humanistic research have recognized the emergence of ³the relational self,² as fostered by Internet-facilitated modes and venues of communication ­ most especially social media. 
Understanding how far our conceptions of selfhood may be changing in Western societies ­ broadly, from more individual to more relational, and, perhaps, from more rational to more emotive ­ is critical, especially as these changes seem further tied to:

• changing circumstances of socialization and togetherness in everyday life, and interweaving of different networks of affiliation that is associated with networked media for personal communication (cf. Rainie & Wellman, 2012);
• changing methodologies and approaches to research designed to better tease out and explore the multiple dimensions of relationality;
• changing sensibilities and expectations regarding privacy and notions of privatlivet and the (proper) boundaries of our intimsfære (intimate sphere), and thereby
• possible coherencies and/or conflicts with current research ethics codes and law, e.g., expected changes in EU data privacy protection law that increases individual privacy protections, but may remain silent regarding privacy and other protections for close relationships such as are already encoded, for example in the NESH 2006 guidelines (Norway) as already more relationally oriented.

The workshop addresses theories of relational selfhood; research methodologies as retuned to such selfhood; and new research ethics questions evoked by changing senses of selfhood and thus privacy expectations. 

For more details, including available ECTs and registration procedures, please see the workshop website: