March 2020 Newsletter
Newsletter #4 2020
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Thank you for taking the time to open our fourth newsletter of the year. As always the newsletter contains information about funding opportunities, conferences, seminars, working groups and publications. Please send any news you would like included in the next edition to sociology.ie@gmail.com with the subject line Newsletter. The next newsletter will be sent out in a fortnight. The SAI is now on Instagram. Please follow us @soc_assco_ire, the profile is a little barren at the moment but please help us change that by sending in content you would like us to share. You can follow any of our social platforms by clicking on the icons below. Funded PositionsUCD School of Sociology Ad Astra PhD ScholarshipsThe School of Sociology at University College Dublin is pleased to invite applications from outstanding candidates for four (4) Ad Astra PhD Scholarships. The Ad Astra scheme involves students working under the supervision of an Ad Astra Fellow, a major recruitment initiative launched by University College Dublin. The Ad Astra Scholarships comprise an annual stipend of €18,000, as well as a full fee-waiver. There is also an allowance of up to €4,000 per annum for research costs. Scholarships are available for a period of up to 4 years, and annual renewal is subject to satisfactory progress being made. Successful applicants must meet the University’s standard PhD admission requirements and be accepted into the School of Sociology’s PhD programme. Applications are invited in the following broad areas:
Application details are available on the main School of Sociology PhD page. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant Ad Astra Fellow in the first instance to ensure that the proposed project fits within the specified area of study. For general queries about the application process, please email sociology@ucd.ie or telephone +353 (0)1 716-8674. Closing date for applications: 31 March 2020. PhD Studentship in Education (Educational Disadvantage)The UCD School of Education is seeking to recruit one PhD student to work on an intervention programme in DEIS post-primary schools. The role comprises a co-ordination and evaluation role of this initiative working under the supervision of Professor Judith Harford. Applicants should have a strong background in education and/or equality studies, with a keen interest in schooling and educational disadvantage. The successful applicant will be required to complete and return a Garda Vetting form (police clearance certificate to ensure suitability for working with children). This will be made available to applicants who are shortlisted for interview. Fees and stipend: The studentship covers the costs of all fees for students with European Union (EU) citizenship (€6,325 per annum for full-time study) and will include a stipend of €16,000 per annum. Non-EU citizens are welcome to apply although will be required to pay the difference between the fees at the EU level (covered by the award) and International PhD fees. This difference is approximately €6,000 per year. The successful applicant will not be permitted to work full time outside of their PhD, although external part time work may be permitted. Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Selection Criteria Mandatory:
Desirable:
Application procedure: This is a highly competitive process. Please ensure you meet the eligibility requirements before applying.
Children’s voice and citizenship practices in IrelandThe UCD School of Education is seeking to recruit one PhD candidate to work on a research project exploring children’s voice, agency and citizenship practices. The successful applicant will be working under the supervision of Dr Gabriela Martinez Sainz and will receive a three-year scholarship covering full tuition fees, a stipend and a research fund to work at the UCD School of Education, a leader in the field of education, with over 100 years of service to the wider education community in Ireland. The research project will explore children's voice, agency and citizenship primarily in Ireland and Europe, but proposals to examine other relevant contexts through comparative analysis are welcome. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work closely with the team of the Irish national study of primary schooling: Children’s School Lives (CSL). On successful completion of the project, the candidate will be awarded a PhD in Children and Youth Studies from University College Dublin. Applicants should have a strong background in education and/or children and youth studies, with a keen interest in children’s rights and/or citizenship education. Experience in qualitative research and analysis is essential for the position. The PhD successful candidate is expected to start in September 2020 and will receive the following financial support for 3 years:
How to apply The application must be submitted via email to gabriela.martinezsainz@ucd.ie no later than March 15, 2020, 23:59 Irish Time (with ‘Ad Astra PhD application’ in the subject line of the email). and must include:
Find out more Enquiries can be directed via email to the lead investigator, Dr Gabriela Martinez Sainz (gabriela.martinezsainz@ucd.ie). For more information about the structure of the PhD programme in Children and Youth Studies consult the UCD School of Education website: https://www.ucd.ie/education/study/doctoralprogrammes/ Conferences, Symposiums and Workshops Symposium on Collective Memory-Work (26th - 28th of August, Maynooth, Ireland) From the outset Collective Memory-Work was intended to be an emancipatory method with a consciously open form. Over three decades the method has been successfully used in academic research in a variety of fields. It has been adapted and adjusted according to purposes of the applications, institutional frameworks, organisational necessities and methodological considerations, leading to further developments of the method. Narrative transformation, collective autoethnographic memory-work, mind-scripting, collective biography are some of the terms that reflect these developments. The symposium in August 2020 in Maynooth is meant to:
Sociological Knowledges for Alternative FuturesThe ESA is proud to present the title, theme and dates of its 15th Conference which will take place in Barcelona, Spain. Dates: Tuesday 31 August - Friday 3 September 2021 Organisers: ESA and the Local Organising Committee chaired by Prof. Teresa Sordé We live in a globalised world where emergencies and hybridities arise from several challenges posed by climate change, sustainable development, violent conflicts and mass migration. Social inequalities (gender, class, age, ethnic, racialised, religion, territorial, embodied, etc.) are constantly reshaped by those challenges. Sociological research is analysing them as well as the actions designed to overcome such inequalities. We see how especially younger generations mobilise and develop solidarities, engaging in social movements focused around topics such as climate change and human rights. Those social movements are being studied and reflected in sociological research, contributing to other ways of seeing and building society. Discussion about alternative futures is taking place all over Europe, particularly in those contexts with an established democratic history seeking egalitarian, just and better environments to sustain more satisfactory and flourishing lives. Citizens want to decide which paths to take to achieve such goals and sociological knowledges provide key analyses about which actions might contribute practical accomplishments and which will not. We believe that sociology has a big role to play in rethinking alternatives for the future starting from solid scientific knowledge and working out from it. How can we build sociological knowledges to face so many challenges? This is a pertinent question at a time of “fake news” and “post-truth” when scientific expertise is frequently brought into question. The distinction between knowledge and opinion becomes blurred. Populist and authoritarian politics gain even more power and attention, undermining democracy in multiple parts of the globe. Therefore, now is the time to discuss how sociology offers better understanding and relevant knowledges to improve society. The complex relations between centres and peripheries, understood in a global perspective, must be explored, and the social implications of the use of technological tools in a digital era must be identified and applied so as to imagine and create other futures. We know that gatekeepers do not always recognise the relevance of sociologicalknowledge for society, postponing funding for social scientific research and not providing enough resources to generate bridges between the contexts of knowledge production and application. However, today citizens are demanding to see how research in all scientific fields is contributing to the improvement of their lives, and the social sciences are well positioned to analyse those contributions. We encourage sociologists, and social scientists more generally, from Europe and beyond, to feed the scientific discussion with fresh data, thoughts and ideas and to contribute sociological knowledge envisioning and building alternative futures. We invite colleagues to share and discuss recent research concerning all areas of society, with a view to building alternative futures together in the ESA 2021 conference in the vibrant city of Barcelona. Approaches to these problems from different methodological frameworks (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, experimental) will be welcome. Barcelona will be a place for joint work, dialogue and networking, focusing on future possibilities. The construction of new epistemic communities is a crucial step towards creating alternative futures. We count on you to think about and practice new ways of overcoming the complex social challenges of our time! More information will follow, please stay tuned, visit the ESA website on a regular basis and follow the hashtag #esa2021BCN on the ESA Twitter account for further updates. The Sex Work Research Hub and the Irish Sex Work Research Network are jointly putting on the annual PGR sex work conference which will be held in Ireland this year. The conference is now in its second decade and has seen over a hundred and fifty students present their work to a supportive audience. We welcome abstracts of no more than 300 words submitted by 12th January 2020 to Professor Teela Sanders (teela.sanders@leicester.ac.uk) Venue Maynooth University is in Co. Kildare, just 25km from Dublin City Centre. The University is in the town of Maynooth and is easily accessible by train, bus and car from Dublin. There is also a direct bus link to Maynooth from Dublin Airport. There are a range of accommodation options available in the University ranging from €37 to €97 per night that can be booked directly on the link below. There are also hotel options in the town; the Glenroyal and the more aristocratic Carton House. https://www.maynoothcampus.com/ https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/location/commuting https://www.glenroyal.ie/ https://www.cartonhouse.com/ If you need any help or information about planning your trip to the conference, please email Dr. Paul Ryan, Department of Sociology, MU. paul.ryan@mu.ie The Social Pathologies of Contemporary CivilizationsThe ninth international conference on The Social Pathologies of Contemporary Civilizations explores the nature of contemporary malaises, diseases, illnesses and syndromes in their relation to cultural pathologies of the social. This time, however they are focusing explicitly on counter developments to these pathologies and their ambivalences. Keynote speakers: Beverley Skeggs (Lancaster University), Céline Cantat (Central European University), Máté Zombory (Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Arpad Szakolczai (University College Cork) As previously, we welcome contributions from various disciplines attempting to answer these questions Submission deadline: March 20th 2020 The Annual Public Housing Conference 2020, Maynooth University.Housing and Home after GE2020: what ways forward to solve the housing & homeless crises? The Annual Public Housing Conference 2020, Maynooth University. Wednesday March 11th From 10am to 3 pm Following on from the successful conference, A New Vision and New Practice for Public Housing Conference 2019, we are delighted to invite you to attend the 2nd Annual Public Housing Conference in Maynooth University. This year’s theme is how can public housing deliver affordable homes and a sustainable planet in the context of a changing political landscape.This event is part of Maynooth University Social Justice Week Organised by Dr Rory Hearne, Department of Applied Social Studies & supported by Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) To register get tickets on https://www.eventbrite.com/e/housing-and-home-after-ge2020-what-ways-forward-to-solve-the-housing-homeless-crises-tickets-94503224689 12th International Dementia Conference Title: 12th International Dementia Conference Theme: Transforming Care & Communities Date: Mon 15th & Tues 16th June, 2020 Venue: University College Dublin Conference Academic Partner: School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University This conference is well established as the leading annual dementia event in Ireland. Our aim is to bring together expertise, experience, innovation and passion, delivering a lively set of days that enhances delegates’ knowledge base and leads them to assess their own attitudes and practices. It is an opportunity to present your work to a large audience of peers. Applications are invited for: 1. Short presentations (re project, service or research) (10-15 mins) 2. Interactive sessions or demonstration of a creative arts/music/mindfulness/wellbeing approach (10 / 20 / 30 mins) 3. Poster presentations (re project, service or research) Submit your abstract application at www.engagingdementia.ie Deadline for applications Friday 6th March 2020. If you wish to submit your application by email, contact us at conference@engagingdementia.ie and we will email the application form to you. Topics: · Interdependence and enablement · Improving dementia care pathways in acute care and the community · Wellbeing in the family home, nursing home or other setting · Engaging staff in person centred dementia care · Resilience · Design/technology and dementia · Creative arts initiatives · Therapeutic/psycho social approaches · Meeting the needs of people with intellectual disability and dementia · Meeting the needs of people with young onset dementia · Supporting people at end of life · Policy change to support better outcomes The Conference 2020 Panel will adjudicate applications For more information email: conference@engagingdementia.ie "Studying digital vulnerabilities, violences and resistances: methodological challenges and epistemological dilemmas in gender and sexualities research” University of Brighton, Brighton (UK) 12th June 2020 We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the forthcoming symposium entitled ‘Studying Digital Vulnerabilities, violences and resistance: methodological challenges and epistemological dilemmas in gender and sexualities research’. The symposium is organized jointly by the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender and the Centre for Digital Media Cultures at the University of Brighton, UK. This multidisciplinary symposium aims to bring together academics and professionals, to discuss, advance and exchange ideas on the use of Web-based methods to research social phenomena such as violence, social suffering, intimacy, activism, or inequality. The day will focus on methodological challenges, ethical dilemmas and epistemological discussions that scholars have encountered and how they have overcome them. Academics working on digital vulnerabilities and digital violence, as well as those working outside academia, involved in challenging inequality and discrimination (through activism, advocacy, art, etc.), are invited to attend and to contribute. With this in mind, we invite proposals that explore, but are not restricted to, the following topics: -Digital vulnerabilities -Digital violence (cyberbullying, doxxing, etc.) -Sexual violence in digital environments -Other forms of gender violence in digital environments -Digital sexual practices -Circulation and representations of violent contents -New forms of e-discrimination -Digital intimacies -Toxic technocultures -Social practices on the Deep Web and Dark Web -Conflicts on the web (social media etc) -Digital activism Presenters are in particular encouraged to articulate their proposal around the methodological aspects of their research, which may also include epistemological debates, ethical problems, technical issues, innovative research methods, etc. We call for potential speakers to submit a short proposal in English. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words. Please also include a short biographical note (150 words max). The deadline for the submission of proposals is April 15th, 2020. Address questions and proposals to: Elisa García-Mingo Universidad Complutense de Madrid elisgarc@ucm.es “Gender and sexuality in the neoliberal University: Interdisciplinary Approaches.” Situating universities within the recent developments brought out by neoliberal and market ideologies, this conference invites proposals focusing on the impact of neoliberalism on gender(ed) experiences in academia. In the UK, profound transformations in the neoliberal university such as marketisation, consumerism, funding-led audits and the introduction of managerial cultures have ushered in control and surveillance regimes and lead to the suppression of academic freedom (Morrish and Sauntson, 2016, 2019). Academia remains complicit in reproducing power and control inequalities, with the majority of students in British Higher Education belonging to relatively comfortable socio-economic backgrounds and being encouraged to behave as consumers of a product rather than show interest in their academic self-development (Burke, 2013; Connell, 2013; McGettigan, 2013).The inequalities produced by neoliberal politics at university are especially marked when considered along the lines of gender and sexuality in their intersection with other categories such as race, class or ableism. The subjectivities especially at risk of sexism, bullying or sexual harassment are those who fall outside of the white cis heterosexual able male category established as the norm, or those who question gender and sexual binarisms and male supremacy (Ahmed, 2015; 2017a; 2017b). We therefore welcome papers exploring the relationship between gender, academic elites and margins where policies, structures and/ or pedagogies are concerned in academic institutions affected by neoliberalism both in and outside the UK. What does it mean being a woman or a LGBTQIA+ and/or non-white, disabled, working class person in today’s University? How are entry and promotion schemes gendered to favour cis male and heterosexual students or staff members, and those who uphold the power inherent in these categories? How are expectations, entitlements and burdens experienced differently along the axes of gender, sexuality, social class or ableism? Is it at all possible to challenge such structural inequalities, and to inform pedagogies from within a gendered and queer feminist perspective? Relatedly we encourage scholars to focus on the extent of the power of educators and managers in either promoting or hindering gender diversity, the dynamics that have a positive or negative effect on gender equality as well as the pathways, voices and alternatives that inclusive and critical gender practices and perspectives can foster. We welcome intersectional approaches, and particularly encourage contributions on the following or related themes and in a wide range of sociological, cultural and linguistic contexts: - Gender and/or sexualitystudies teaching, feminist and queer pedagogies; - Academic policies, practices and processes focused on gender and/or sexuality structures and processes that facilitate or impede gender equality; - Resistance in the implementation of gender diversity measures/ the myth of the Equalities Act; - Sexism, heteropatriarchy and heteronormativity in academia: gender imbalances and underrepresentation of women or members of LGBTQIA+ community among staff or students; career progression; - Sexual harassment and/or bullying in academia; - Discrimination based on gender and sexuality in its intersection with race, and/or class, and or ableism; - Hierarchies of oppression in underrepresented groups; - Academic workload, especially pastoral work, as gendered work; - Collegiality versus managerialism and the impact on gender and sexuality; - Divided sisters: women benefiting from the oppression of other women; - The role of HE institutions in supporting systems of oppression and discrimination; - Student and staff complaints based on gender inequalities and their afterlives. Please send your 250-300 words abstract by the 31st May 2020 to Marion Krauthaker (marion.krauthaker@dmu.ac.uk) and Michela Baldo (M.Baldo@hull.ac.uk). The conference will take place on the 17th and 18th September 2020 at the University of Leicester. Seminars and TalksLaw and activism in conflict: Lessons from South Sudan (UCD School of Sociology, Thursday March 5th 13:00) Rachel Ibreck will discuss the findings of her book South Sudan's Injustice System: Law and Activism on the Frontline (Zed Books). The book argues that legality matters intensely in South Sudan, the world’s newest ‘fragile’ state. Plural and competing laws and authorities have governed during the atrocious civil war since 2013, while historically South Sudanese people have been subjugated by legal practices with colonial and authoritarian roots. Despite the dysfunctions of law and the constant threat of violence, people turn to accessible ‘customary’ courts, and South Sudanese legal activists strive to make a more humane legal order from below, using social networks and diverse cultural resources to respond to injustices. Their struggles in laws, courts, and prisons are pivotal and revealing. The talk will also reflect on the lessons for our understanding of the origins of conflict, the power of law and the possibilities for transforming violent conflict. Rachel Ibreck is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research interests include human rights activism, political violence, humanitarian and transitional justice interventions, and the politics of memory and justice in Eastern Africa, especially in Rwanda and South Sudan. She has a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Bristol. She is a research associate at the Conflict Research Programme, LSE. She has published in academic journals including African Affairs, the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Stability: International Journal of Security and Development and the Journal of Contemporary African Studies and is author of South Sudan’s Injustice System: Law and Activism on the Frontline (Zed Books, 2019) New Working GroupPEIN would like to invite you to express your interest in joining PEINs new working group to produce a position paper PEI for children and families living in Direct Provision in Ireland. The first meeting will take place on Tuesday 10th March and you will be supported to contribute via Skype and video conferencing. You may be aware that PEIN has recently launched position papers on Child Health and Adverse Childhood Experience, with a Homelessness paper close to completion. These position papers have been a collaborative effort from members and external agencies making up working groups that produced concise papers with actionable recommendations. Direct Provision is next on the PEIN position paper agenda. PEINs position paper will seek to identify how Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) can address the negative consequences of Direct provision on children and families. One of the first things the group will need to do is to summarise what the research tells us about those negative impacts. PEIN will support the working group members in the production of this paper, Please contact PEIN to indicate your interest in being involved with this paper and working group and Do not hesitate to contact me at aoife@pein.ie or Lyndsey PEIN Coordinator at lyndsey@pein.ie. The DSAI is Ireland's only association for researchers and practitioners working in the field of international development. It runs a number of study groups such as civil society, child health, education, and gender as well as a postgraduate study group. The postgraduate network is made up of students from across different institutions, from a range of academic backgrounds. DSAI membership is free of charge and allows postgraduate students to network with like-minded people and well-established actors across the international development sector. Another key benefit of DSAI membership is the Working Paper series which allows early-stage researchers the opportunity to have their research paper critically reviewed by professional researchers in the development studies field. Summer Schools Economy and Society Summer School The 2020 Economy and Society Summer School is now open for applications: there's a great line up this year:The event runs from the 11-15th of May at picturesque Blackwater Castle, Co.Cork, Ireland. The Economy + Society Summer School is a week-long residential symposium, oriented to doctoral candidates in disciplines ranging from sociology and economics to anthropology, philosophy, aesthetics and business subjects. Organised by the UCC/WIT Centre for the Study of the Moral Foundations of Economy + Society, we welcome guests from around Europe and beyond. Check out our website: http://economyandsocietysummerschool.org/ This year will feature a host of visiting speakers including Chris Rojek, Sharon Wright, Mitchell Dean, Azrini Wahidi, Bill Cooke, Michelle Millar, Stefan Schwarzkopf, Lucy McCarthy, alongside faculty from UCC and WIT. Our school provides master classes where students can present their work and aims to foster a spirit of collegial scholarship and conversation, while addressing crucial social issues. The school costs €400, including accommodation, food and refreshments – or €300 without accommodation. Applications should consist of a brief CV and an overview of your research interest to ¦¦ info.easss@gmail.com ¦¦ Publications Alicia Turner, Laurence Cox and Brian Bocking, The Irish Buddhist: the Forgotten Monk who Faced Down the British Empire. Oxford University Press, 2020. The Irish Buddhist is the biography of an extraordinary Irish emigrant, sailor, and migrant worker who became a Buddhist monk and anti-colonial activist in early twentieth-century Asia. Born in Dublin in the 1850s, U Dhammaloka energetically challenged the values and power of the British Empire and scandalized the colonial establishment of the 1900s. He rallied Buddhists across Asia, set up schools, and argued down Christian missionaries—often using western atheist arguments. He was tried for sedition, tracked by police and intelligence services, and died at least twice. His story illuminates the forgotten margins and interstices of imperial power, the complexities of class, ethnicity and religious belonging in colonial Asia, and the fluidity of identity in the high Victorian period. Too often, the story of the pan-Asian Buddhist revival movement and Buddhism's remaking as a world religion has been told from above, highlighting scholarly writers, middle-class reformers and ecclesiastical hierarchies. By turns fraught, hilarious, pioneering, and improbable, Dhammaloka's adventures from below highlight the changing and contested meanings of Buddhism in colonial Asia. His story offers a window into the worlds of ethnic minorities and diasporas, transnational networks, poor whites, and social movements. Dhammaloka's dramatic life rewrites the previously accepted story of how Buddhism became a modern global religion. 30% off (about €21) with code AAFLYG6 from https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-irish-buddhist-9780190073084?lang=en&cc=gb |