Rethinking Educational Ethnography.

Introduction

This second edition of Rethinking Educational Ethnography: Researching on-line communities and interactions is organised by the Centre for the Study of Change in Culture and Education (CECACE) and the Department of Educational Management, at the University of Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with ECER Network 19. This conference forms part of a long-term discussion that began in Helsinki at ECER 2010, when participating researchers discussed emerging concerns about virtual ethnography and discovered a shared interest. In 2011 this debate gave rise to the first annual Rethinking Educational Ethnography conference, held at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, and to a second gathering within the ECER Network 19 in Berlin. Our aim for the 2012 encounter is to build on the knowledge generated in previous meetings, with the aim of sharing and debating emergent practices in the field of virtual educational ethnography.

This conference seeks to encourage discussion on epistemological, methodological and theoretical perspectives. The event will benefit from the contributions of researchers from different countries and will host leading scholars on the subject.

The main objectives of this conference are:

• to allow conference participants to share their research and discuss current challenges, doubts and findings;
• to enhance our critical understanding of the term ‘virtual ethnography’, by exploring both the epistemological issues and methodological or ethical concerns that emerge when designing and undertaking educational ethnographies that intersect with new technologies;
• to identify publication opportunities for current research in this area;
• to discuss the possibilities of developing international collaborative research projects.

Call for papers

In order to transfer knowledge and generate new perspectives in the field, this conference encourages both scholars and PhD students to submit their research, and welcomes submissions that discuss completed studies, field work, or work in progress.

We specifically invite contributions which address one or several of the following issues:

• The expanded notion of “the field”; On-line / Off-line boundaries.
• Challenges and issues of studying virtual settings and/or communities, in particular those that relate to fieldwork or authorship, among others.
• The role of the ethnographer in online settings; new or shifting relationships between the ethnographer and research subject.
• Doing research collaboratively; advantages and limits of using 'with' as a methodological stance.

Submissions

Abstracts should not exceed 400 words and should be submitted in English. They may be sent to: info@cecace.org, together with contact details for the author(s) and a brief mention of the author's affiliation.

Once approved, a short paper with a minimum of 2000 words must be submitted. These papers will be shared with all delegates prior to the conference, in order to facilitate spending less time on presentations and more time engaging in debate and discussion during the meeting.

Abstract

The abstract should clearly communicate the key points and conclusions of the paper, indicating the methodological framework and the relationship to the call. (400 words max.)

Keywords

A short list of keywords should be provided with the abstract (no more than five).

Language

The general language of the conference is English. Abstracts, as well as the full paper, should be submitted in English.

Important dates

The deadline for the Call for Papers has been extended until the 15^th of January, 2012.

Decisions on acceptance of the abstracts submitted by the 15^th of December will be announced by the 30^th of December, 2011.

Decisions on acceptance of abstracts submitted by the 15^th of January will be announced by the 30^th of January, 2012.

Abstract submission deadline January 15^th, 2012

Authors notified of acceptance January 30^th, 2012

Registration February 28^th – May 25^th, 2012

Submission of full papers April 30^th, 2012

Fees

The cost of participation is: 115€

This fee includes: keynote speakers’ fees, administrative expenses, conference rooms and local support, lunch and coffee breaks both conference days, and a guided visit to the historic building of the University of Barcelona.

A conference dinner will be organised but not included (initially) in the general fee.

Registration

You can complete your registration following this link and clicking on "Registration".

Accomodation

Barcelona receives a lot of tourists in the summertime and we recommend booking your hotel as soon as possible. The Residencia d'Investigadors in particular tends to fill up very quickly, so please plan ahead.

Residencia d'Investigadors

http://www.residencia-investigadors.es
+34 93 443 86 10
C/ Hospital, 64 - 08001 Barcelona
30min metro ride to conference.

Alimara Hotel

http://www.alimarahotel.com/html/ang/index.html
+34 93 427 00 00
C/ Berruguete,126 - 08035 Barcelona
5min walk to conference.

Hotel Curious

http://www.hotelcurious.com/
+34 93 301 44 84
C/ Carme 25 - 08001 Barcelona
30min metro ride to conference.