Creative Applications of Biographical Research: Theory, Practice and Policy
Biographical Perspectives on European Societies Mid-term Conference 2014
September 11-12 2014, Josephine Butler College, Durham University
Presenters: Professor Kaja Kazmierska, Professor Brian Roberts, Dr Áine O’Brien [Co-Director Counterpoint Arts], Photographer Dr John Perivolaris, and a special performance of The Tin Ring by artist Jane Arnfield
Biographical Research and practices as part of human understanding helps people make sense of what has been and what is happening in their lives, cultures, communities and societies. Rooted in a long history and genealogy, biographical/narrative approaches have developed from a focus upon a single story, a ‘life story’, to encompass autobiographical secondary and archival research and analysis – as well as multi-media and arts based multi-sensory methods.
The mid-term conference 2014 will examine questions raised at our last meeting in Turin – the Theoretical and Methodological underpinnings of Biographical Sociology and the Creative Applications of Biographical Research.
It is almost three decades since Ken Plummer’s Documents of Life and his statement that “a major theme haunts this book. It is a longing for social science to take more seriously its humanistic foundations and to foster styles of thinking that encourage the creative, interpretive story telling of lives…”(The Documents of Life 2, p.1).
The interim conference aims to do just that – to theorise, apply and encourage the theoretical, creative, interpretive story telling of lives.
Call for Papers deadline: Monday 19th May Decisions by the organising committee: Friday 30th May Please send your abstracts and queries to: [email protected].
Conference Registration, refreshments, lunches and conference Dinner: £70 / 85 Euro. Concessions for postgraduate researchers. £56/68Euros Concessions for Durham Staff/Students. Contact Maggie O’Neill for more information about this event.