This monthly webinar proposes to address recent debates on epistemological and methodological tools realted to the study of “China”, and to examine them in the light of empirical field experiences. Through historical, sociological and anthropological investigations, the aim will be to identify concrete issues and propose critical approaches to reflect on them.

Presentation

Research in the social sciences on “China” and topics related to this vast object of study confront scholars with numerous practical difficulties, little discussed in the dedicated literature and in the methodological courses.

This monthly webinar proposes to address recent debates on epistemological and methodological tools, and to examine them in the light of empirical field experiences. Through historical, sociological and anthropological investigations, the aim will be to identify concrete issues and propose critical approaches to reflect on them.

In this perspective, each session will be dedicated to one specific topic such as fieldwork failures; language issues; digital ethnography; fieldwork under surveillance; archival research; collective field enquiry; etc. Drawing on case studies presented by PhD students, scholars and professors who have conducted fieldwork in China, we will raise issues of methodology and ethics through collective reflexivity.

Program

October 13 - 14:00-16:00

Fieldwork Failures: Practical Examples of What Can Go Wrong During Fieldwork, and How to Overcome It

• Organisers: Pascale Bugnon (UNIGE) & Léo Maillet (UNIGE – EHESS)

November 17 - 14:00-16:00

Understanding Body Movements in Order to Record Them: Engaging with Sounds and Images During and After Fieldwork

• Organiser: Pierrick Porchet (UNIGE)

December 8 - 14:00-16:00

Internal Mobility Dynamics in Modern China: Analysing the Social Interactions Between Floating People and Local Communities

• Organisers: Chen Yali (UNIGE) & Ozan Şahin (UNIGE)

February 9 - 14:00-16:00

Language Issues: Assessing the Challenges of Learning Local Languages and Dialects for Research Purposes

• Organisers: Yinhui Bao (UNIGE) & Léo Maillet (UNIGE – EHESS)

March 9 - 14:00-16:00

Urbanism and infrastructure in China

• Organisers: Krittika Uniyal (UNIGE) & Ozan Şahin (UNIGE)

April 20 - 14:00-16:00

Iterative and collaborative processes: problems, principles, and paths to construct knowledge

• Organisers: Dandan Dong (UNIGE) & Pascale Bugnon (UNIGE) & Ozan Şahin (UNIGE)

May 11 - 14:00-16:00

Feminist Epistemologies and Knowledge Production in Research with a Gender Perspective

• Organisers: Chen Yali (UNIGE)

June 8 - 14:00-16:00

Chinese presence in Infrastructure provisions in Developing Economies

• Organisers: Krittika Uniyal (UNIGE) & Higor De Souza Carvalho (UNIGE)

Information

Online every second Thursday of the mont, from 14:00 to 16:00 (CET)

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