Second DASS Research Conference
2nd DASS RESEARCH CONFERENCE SUCCESS!
| Following last summer's successful DASS Research Conference, a second one-day event was held on June 26 th at the Graduate Centre in Holloway Road. 54 colleagues attended, including a number of postgraduate students and welcome guests from the Cities Institute, HAL and the University of Cologne. The programme was less packed than in 2007, featuring eight projects from across the range of the department's work. In his opening remarks, John Gabriel reminded us of DASS's commitment to useful and usable research of clear public benefit - a genuinely ‘public sociology'. Paul Lister , Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development, reiterated the vital importance of research activity for London Met, in enhancing our institutional reputation, in income generation and in developing a mindset appropriate to 21 st century higher education. | |
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The thematic focus on ‘methodological innovation' was taken up by the speakers in diverse and interesting ways. In the first session Donna Dustin and Ruzanna Gevorgyan reflected on their projects, respectively on social workers' experience of care management (McDonalidization) and on HIV/AIDS advocacy work in Russia. In both projects extended interview material with professional respondents was conceptually organised using framework analysis. Donna described how the topic guides and conceptual framework evolved during the stages of data collection. The transparency of the findings is demonstrated in the poster size tabulation of the material which Donna showed us. Ruzanna's project exposed the two sides of policy making - a progressive public discourse contrasted with blocked implementation in practice. Advocacy organisations are often faced with an information flow which goes downwards rather than upwards, where the stigmas associated with those at risk of HIV undermines policy implementation. |
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In the third session, Maddy Coy reflected on her innovative project on young women's routes into prostitution from local authority care. This used a participatory arts project, in which respondents made a photographic self portrait with a verbal commentary. This offered new knowledge of and insights into the women's experiences, presented in a different way, and hence an exciting form of social research. Paul Kerr is a former producer with Channel 4, who described in fascinating detail the managerial machinations surrounding his programme The Last Slave , about one of the last slaves to be transported from Nigeria to Jamaica on a British ship. This illustrated some McDonalidization processes, with management preoccupied with the appeal of the programme to overseas buyers, particularly Americans. Paul's point about the importance of TV practitioners being involved in TV research was well made. |
| In the final session Svetlana Stephenson discussed her interviews with members of youth street gangs in Kazan, Russia. Her analysis of their unwritten, normative codes suggests that they act as a ‘proxy authority' in the neighbourhood, and can therefore be seen as significant historical agents. Paula Skidmore described her evaluation study of Barnardos provision for young people vulnerable to sexual exploitation. This used a participatory approach, which resulted in immediate changes in approach and an agreed set of outcomes for future service delivery. | |
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In closing the conference, Karen Lyons commended the range of methodologies being deployed as well as the broad and diverse scope of research activity in DASS. Finally Anna Gough-Yates agreed that the conference had provided a useful showcase for our activity and for facilitating research networking within the department, which is intended to be an annual fixture in the calendar. She thanked the organising committee, particularly its chair Karen, for their successful efforts. It is hoped that the individual contributions will be posted on the department's website soon, along with the results of the evaluation of the event, also available from Georgie Parry-Crooke (g.parrycrooke@londonmet.ac.uk). Norman Ginsburg |
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