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- Convenors:
-
Markus Rudolfi
(Goethe University Frankfurt)
Timo Roßmann (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Gili Yaron (Windesheim University of Applied Sciences)
Violet Petit-Steeghs (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
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- Format:
- Traditional Open Panel
Short Abstract
This panel invites “STS confessions”—untold stories of vulnerability in STS-fieldwork. Sharing what is silenced will serve to collectively imagine, enact and negotiate greater resilience within STS communities, while fostering meaningful engagements with field interlocutors.
Description
The sometimes overwhelming realities of STS-fieldwork may linger in our memories as compelling reminders of what “could have been otherwise”. Sharing stories about these experiences, however, is often constrained by formal directives (e.g. journal guidelines, project goals), methodological frames (e.g. “thin” data, “bad” interviews) or ethical dilemmas (e.g. fear of misconduct allegations, reputational risks). Despite the silence that surrounds them, such untold stories may contain valuable insights regarding our work. Moreover: they allow us to handle and endure our vulnerabilities as researchers. “STS confessions” may thus help us imagine, enact and negotiate greater resilience within STS communities while fostering meaningful engagements with field interlocutors.
The format of “confessional tales” (Van Maanen 2011) can open up a space to collectively make our untold stories matter. This “STS confessions” panel therefore invites contributions exploring vulnerabilities in field encounters. Mobilizing these confessions, we will collectively reimagine a politics of resilience for future STS inquiries. Questions we welcome (non-exhaustive):
- Which field stories do you edit out to produce a tighter, publishable, less vulnerable narrative? What is lost in these omissions?
- What is lost when you translate STS-informed findings when engaging with interlocutors?
- How do you account for, resist, or rework the vulnerabilities entailed by the uncontrolled uptake of such translations beyond STS?
- What silences did you encounter in dealing with external demands by funders, collaborators, interlocutors and publics? What produced these silences, how did they address vulnerabilities and how did you handle them?
Panel format (traditional): Presenters will have 10–15 minutes followed by a 10-minute discussion. We seek papers from scholars in all career stages spanning diverse methodological framings and empirical settings. Invited discussants will explore the implications of confessional tales for resilient STS practice and public engagement. Contributors should be willing to revise for peer review, as we envision developing selected panel papers into a Special Issue.