[Commlist] CFP // 4S Open Panel // Messiness in Ethnography

We are inviting submissions to our open panel *147. Acknowledging and 
Embracing the Complexities of Conducting Ethnography: Navigating the 
Notions of Messiness in the Field* to be submitted to the 4S Conference 
(Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), which will take place in 
Honolulu, Hawai’i on November 8 - 11, 2023.

*Deadline for submission is *May 26, 2023.

*Panel Description:*
This open panel explores the challenges and complexities of conducting 
ethnographic research in messy, real-world environments within the 
disciplines of STS, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Media 
Anthropology. Ethnography often requires researchers to navigate complex 
social dynamics, unpredictable events, and unexpected outcomes. Research 
carried out in contexts under occupation or oppression, faced with war 
crimes or human rights violations bring out even more uncertainties, 
complexities, and potentially even trauma. Ethnography undoubtedly 
carries the notion of (neo-)colonialism, exploitation, and extractivism. 
Questions that should occur here are: How do we ensure that our 
research/work does not play into these practices? What are steps we can 
take to counteract these exploitive mechanisms? What authority do we 
have to do the research we are doing? Who is actually benefiting from 
our work and how can we align that with decolonial thinking?
This open panel seeks to bring together researchers who are 
acknowledging and embracing these complexities and who are seeking 
and/or developing strategies to manage the messiness of ethnography. It 
is open to both conceptual and empirical presentations that address the 
challenges of ethnographic research and offer insights into how to 
navigate the nuances of messy ethnographic fieldwork. We encourage 
researchers to submit reflective pieces which are very personal and show 
the influence the research setting has on the researcher.

Potential topics may include, but are not limited to:

  * The impact of unexpected events and outcomes on ethnographic research
  * Strategies for adapting to changes in the field and managing the
    messiness of ethnography
  * The role of reflexivity in navigating messy ethnographic scenarios
  * Reflections on the researcher’s authority and privilege
  * The ethical considerations of conducting messy ethnographic research
  * Approaches to analyzing and making sense of complex and
    unpredictable ethnographic data
  * The challenges of preserving the validity and reliability of
    ethnographic findings in messy environments.
  * The influence of the research setting on the researcher

*Session Chairs: *Sarah Rüller ((sarah.rueller /at/ uni-siegen.de) 
<https://mailto:(sarah.rueller /at/ uni-siegen.de)>) and Konstantin Aal 
((konstantin.aal /at/ uni-siegen.de) <https://mailto:(konstantin.aal /at/ uni-siegen.de)>)

*Keywords: *University-Society Relations, Method, and Practice, 
Decolonial and Postcolonial STS, Ethnography; Messiness; Authority

*Submissions:* If you would like to participate in this session, please 
submit your individual abstract of approx. 250 words and follow the 
instructions described here: 
https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions.php 
<https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions.php>

###

The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is an international, 
nonprofit association founded in 1975 that fosters interdisciplinary and 
engaged scholarship in social studies of science, technology, and 
medicine (a field often referred to as STS).

This year, 4S will be holding its annual meeting at the Honolulu 
Convention Center in Hawai’i, November 8-11, 2023. This year’s theme is 
“Sea, Sky, and Land: Engaging in Solidarity in Endangered Ecologies.”

More information can be found here: https://www.4sonline.org/meeting.php 
<https://www.4sonline.org/meeting.php>

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