Navigating the Field: Working in Challenging Context & VERA Day

The BOMOCULT Research Community, the VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies, the Doctoral Programme in Social and Cultural Encounters and the Responsive Natural Resources Governance research group of the University of Eastern Finland invite you to a seminar dealing with fieldwork and academic cooperation with scholars in challenging contexts.

The aim of the seminar is to discuss, share experiences and, hopefully, find possible ways to navigate the challenges that for example unstable political context, social inequalities, authoritarian rule and sanction regimes as well as war or military conflict create for academic fieldwork.

During the first half of the day, scholars with firm experience in, e.g., ethnographic fieldwork, action-oriented research and data collection via interviews and participatory methods will share their experiences and thoughts on doing research in diverse challenging contexts, e.g., Africa, South Asia, Central America, and Russia. They will elaborate on the varied ethical and practical questions that work in such uncertain contexts produces. How different but, yet, similar can those challenges during fieldwork be? How to prepare, stay open to surprises and be sensitive to challenges during the fieldwork? Possible topics of discussion consist, e.g., of research in (post-)colonial settings, issues related to power relations and positionality in research, participatory and co-research, activism, navigating the formal requirements at the UEF and with the country of study, safety and security of research participants, researchers and data.

During the second half of the day, researchers are welcome to continue the discussion by presenting their ongoing research, challenges during fieldwork, or other topics. Please, send the title of your presentation along with your registration by 26 April.

Programme

8.30-9.00 Coffee

9.00-10.00 Keynote speech

Theatre of Resistance. Studying Art and Performances as Politics of Resistance in Today’s Russia by Elena Nikiforova, Centre for Independent Social Research

10.00-11.15 Roundtable discussion

Azmeary Ferdoush, Hanna Laako, Pauliina Lukinmaa, Irmeli Mustalahti, Ubaldus Tumaini; Chair: Joni Virkkunen

11.15-12.00 Discussion

12.00-13.00 Lunch (self-paid)

13.00-16.00 Paper sessions & Discussion

We encourage on-site participation, but the morning sessions can be followed on Zoom as well.

Registration by 26 April

To receive the link, or coffee on-site, please register your participation by 26 April 2023 to joni.virkkunen@uef.fi & minna.piipponen@uef.fi. Let us know your possible dietary requirements.