CFP: Trials & Tribulations - Negotiating Research Methods in Cyberspace

Concordia University; Montréal, QC
November 10 - 11, 2006
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Technological innovations such as the Internet, cell phones, MP3 players and video game consoles have changed the ways in which people work, play, interact, communicate and define who they are. As use of these technologies increases, so have the methodological opportunities for researchers who study the ways in which people, both children and adults, use and experience digital culture. Academic interest surrounding these emerging technologies varies as widely as the disciplines themselves.

This poses a variety of challenges in researching digital culture given that every discipline employs unique methodologies specific to their field of study. As this type of research is still emerging, opportunities for the development of original and innovative ways of capturing on-line experiences continue to arise. This makes it particularly important for scholars across a variety of disciplines to come together to share the ways in which they have pushed the limits of traditional methods and overcome the challenges of research surrounding digital culture.

We aim to invite those who have an interest in and experience with conducting research online, not only as a tool but as space of inquiry. We hope to attract a range of scholars, from students who are beginning their research to seasoned academics who can share their experiences working with digital methods. The goal of this symposium is to encourage informal discussion, therefore participation will be limited.

For this, we invite papers that focus on but not limited to:

• Ethical Issues
• Researching video game console culture
• Fieldwork Boundaries & Possibilities
• From online & offline and back again: the question of merging identity
• Post-Virtual Research: Situating the virtual as a space of inquiry after the real/virtual debate
• Ethnography in cyberspace
• The future of qualitative research online

SUBMISSION INFORMATION:
300-500 word abstract, excluding references
Deadline for Submissions: July 1st, 2006
Notification of Acceptance: September 1st, 2006

Please send a copy of your abstract to both Shanly Dixon, Humanitites (dixons@alcor.concordia.ca) & Kelly Boudreau, Sociology & Anthropology (kelly@gamecode.ca)