[Air-l] CFP: Trials & Tribulations - Negotiating Research Methods in Cyberspace

[kelly boudreau]

*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 at alcor.concordia.ca) & Kelly Boudreau, Sociology & Anthropology (
kelly at gamecode.ca)