Paper short abstract:

We are going to present various experiences among Ph.D. students that have just started their research at the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology (University of Ljubljana).

Paper long abstract:

We are going to discuss various experiences among Ph.D. students that have just started their research at the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology (University of Ljubljana). Specifically, how the pandemic influenced their research work (e.g. their possibility of conducting fieldwork, work from home, library closures, new communication technologies, remote conferences, limited networking opportunities), other possibilities of conducting ethnographic fieldwork (looking for new forms of research, e.g., virtual ethnography), as well as new barriers and ways to overcome them. Also, we will question how the new situation affected their personal life as well as work, and how these two crucial segments of our lives equally shaped and challenged each other (e.g. additional workloads at work and home, home-schooling children, and working at the same time, etc.). We will also explore what to expect after the pandemic; in what way will the pandemic affect our way and scope of work. Mainly, how the changes will affect the implementation of fieldwork, and how these will be reflected in the quality of research work. We will also address potential problems in research funding, changes in methodology, and research questions as a result of the pandemic.

Paper short abstract:

Online social networks have become a crucial platform where various news and debates regarding COVID 19 are formed, transmitted and questioned. In our paper, we will address the question of how to ethnographically approach social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in times of pandemic.

Paper long abstract:

One consequence of the pandemic situation is that numerous everyday practices have moved to the online environment. Digital social networks have become a crucial platform where various news and debates regarding COVID 19 are generated, spread and questioned. These networks not only serve as a realm where the aspects of 'offline reality’ are communicated but also influence the wider, 'analogue' social and cultural practices. How to ethnographically approach social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in times of pandemic? How can digital ethnography and the ethnography of the digital (e.g. Miller and Horst 2012; Podjed and Pretnar 2019) as well as the anthropological insights into social media (Miller 2011) methodologically and epistemologically help to grasp the social and cultural dimensions of the current situation? Apart from these questions, we will also shed light on the three main Slovenian ethnological institutions as all of them actively use digital social networks in new and divergent ways.

Paper short abstract:

It became difficult to perform multi-sited ethnography, especially participant observation during COVID-19, but new topics have emerged in the online space, and we studied how some Hungarian NRMs, and pupils reacted to the pandemic and broke some legal regulations.

Paper long abstract:

Ildikó Tamás performed European ethnological research among students and pupils and László Koppány Csáji performed anthropological fieldwork among new religious movements throughout the Carpathian Basin during the last decade. The participant observation became nearly impossible in the offline space from March 2020, so we had to adapt to the situation so our online ethnography became dominant (what we have already started in 2015), and we shared our experience how the groups we study reacted to the situation. We recognized how some group tried to avoid, circumvent and break the legal regulations in the offline space. So we also started to perform the “anthropology of breaking the rules”, but it was quite hard to observe it in the offline space. When we made some statistics of their activity, we recognized that their adaptation has affected only some of their social media channels, while some of them also tried to find unlawful offline ties, even if it was less frequent, and the majority of the participants refused to do so.

Paper short abstract:

This report offers an overview of my findings after conducting open interviews with icelandic ethnology and folklore students and collecting answers to an questionnaire to the same group. What affect has Covid-19 had on people's schooling, learning experience and opportunity to conduct field work?

Paper long abstract:

Iceland has been praised by the global media for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has held information briefings for the public almost daily on the state television and radio where "the trio" lay down the lines of restrictions and measures. For the most part the Icelandic science community and government argues that Iceland has also managed to control new strains of the virus at the nations border (i.e. the national airport) and managed to keep the virus largely outside healthcare institutes. The public has placed all its trust in the scientific community, both state and private, in the fight against the virus, the virus being the clear enemy.

The actions of the government have predominantly been met with serenity and understanding by the public, but there is no doubt that fatigue is beginning to be felt regarding actions by the government, people long for life to return to normal. University students are no exception to this. For students who rely on being able to conduct field work and interviews, "the situation" has certainly not been simple. Through interviews and questionnaires, I have tried my best to paint a picture of what measures the students themselves have taken, how they have felt during this liminal time and how "the situation" has affected the students' lives and studies for the worse or even for the better.