Purpose/Driving Questions: What is the role of religious, charismatic leadership (as delineated by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu) in encouraging particular behaviors within a congregation and forms of engagement with the larger social and political community? How do spiritual leaders mobilize their constituencies outside the bounds of the church, synagogue, or mosque? What are the roles of religious institutions and faith systems more generally in initiating/developing broader social processes?
Specific Research Question: How are various urban religious spaces in Amsterdam—namely mosques, synagogues, and churches—used, both physically and discursively, to address the issues of their respective communities and to negotiate between religious unity and metropolitan diversity?
Human Subjects Component: We qualify for an exemption under two categories: two and four. Part of our methodology includes analyzing and dissecting the materials an organization makes available for public consumption. We define “available for public consumption” as materials that is likely to be read by the external community (i.e. pamphlets, brochures, web material, and literature geared towards citizens outside the congregation) or distributed widely through various public venues. Thus, we qualify under category four.
We also intend to interview spiritual and administrative leaders in three institutions: a church, a synagogue, and a mosque. We will essentially be asking the principal leaders of these organizations the following questions:
Please briefly tell us about your congregation in terms of your:
-denomination
-history
-social community
-What activities/groups are open to members?
-community involvement
How has your location in an urban area shaped your congregation?
What do you feel is the biggest challenge posed to your community?
-How do you advise those in your congregation to approach it?
How do you define community?
-internally
-externally
We feel that these questions are broad and fair. We have been careful to design interview questions that are neither pointed nor loaded with our biases and misconceptions. Considering that the role of many spiritual leaders is to inform the larger community about their religion and congregation, we do not feel we are violating their rights as citizens nor do we feel we are asking unusual or uncomfortable questions.
Because we are not tape-recording these interviews (we plan to take careful notes) and we plan to conceal the true identity of the leaders and institutions (Pastor John Doe of Church X) in any publications or presentations of our research, we believe we qualify for an exemption under category two. We considered the possibility that these leaders could be indirectly traced if we released the denomination of the church, so we either a) will ensure that there a multiple [Lutheran] churches within the Amsterdam city limits and that our specific institutions is not easily identifiable or b) if we choose to study an institution that is easily recognizable, we will not release the denomination. We do not intend to publish any identifying characteristics (exact location, one-of-a-kind or otherwise extremely identifiable architecture, or anything unique to the organization or leader) and will maintain confidentiality and ensure the privacy of those involved.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Public Scholarship
"What if campus-based artists and humanists—connoisseurs of metaphor—took ourselves more literally? What if we took the question of democratizing the canon literally enough to enter in the joint discovery of literary knowledge with non-academics? What if we took the passion for public spaces literally enough to collaborate with municipal partners on site design? What if we took our interest in gender and genre literally enough to work with high-school girls active in the poetry slam movement?"
-Ellison
I realize that I will be offending most if not all the class when I say this, but I feel like Ellison touches on a crucial point-- knowledge and insight written by academics for academics is not necessarily the most desirable form of scholarship. I feel like many of the readings we've had so far have been just that-- theoretical, slightly esoteric, difficult to metabolize, and quite frankly not very useful outside of an academic context--because as a citizen, I'm not sure I would a) be able to understand the tactics presented, or b) be able to apply them. Exceptions include Bal, Barthes, and a few others. As Domke so rightly pointed out, the role of an academic is to study relevant social, historical, literary political, economic, biological, [etc.] phenomena to serve the public good. I am more impressed by the scholars who can take complex concepts and theories, express and explain them in the societal vernacular, and educate and mobilize the general public than I am by academics who write long, esoteric treatises dealing with a highly specific and complex theory and never make their insight available to the general public. I am not eschewing the research of those passionate about researching a single poem or a single space, but I believe there are ways in which a scholar can make their experience and thought process relevant to today's world--after all, every event, text, and process has implications for society.
"Public scholarship and hope go hand in hand. When scholars highlight opportunities for social change, we offer hope. When scholars help people to negotiate systems in ways that more fully honor their humanity, we offer hope. When scholars provide tools that allow people to take greater control over personal and cultural choices, we offer hope. And when scholars drop our detachment and adopt an ethic of engagement, we offer hope. It is this emphasis—on the belief that together we can build a better world, a more perfect union of humanity—that drives me toward public scholarship."
-Domke
Domke is brilliant-- this is what frustrates me most about the academic world. What is the use of studying a phenomenon if the research is not intended to somehow improve the world? I feel like we've gotten trapped in a cycle of Marx-like "knowledge-fetishism," where instead of doggedly focusing on commodities as the object of desire we have focused on knowledge-- or perhaps the production of knowledge-- for the sake of knowledge. I have been presenting my own research at the Honors Research Colloquium, URP symposium, a conference, and several other venues these past few weeks, and I have been frustrated by the lack of "big-picture" thinking. Yes, I would agree that it's interesting to know that the color of a flower's stemen impacts its chance of being pollinated, but what implications does this have for agriculture? Even for our gardens-- can we change the color of the stemen and grow more flowers, meaning we don't need to use toxic fertilizers? Yes, it's interesting that a hit to the olfactory lobe affects cognitive processes, but does this change what we know about brain damage? It seems that many of the presenters to which I directed these questions hadn't considered the larger community, and I think that's a flaw in the academic system-- after all, what good is unapplied knowledge? Domke points out that research should be done collaboratively with the public in order to improve the world.
In terms of our project, I think that Ruben and I were very careful to choose a subject that has ripples throughout the world and we consistently focus on those implications for society. However, as to how best communicate something so senstitive to the public...Well, that's difficult. We have publicly accessible blogs, we could create something to post on youtube, we could write an article for a press source, I'm not sure how we would be able to impart the importance of this research to the larger community without offending someone.
-Ellison
I realize that I will be offending most if not all the class when I say this, but I feel like Ellison touches on a crucial point-- knowledge and insight written by academics for academics is not necessarily the most desirable form of scholarship. I feel like many of the readings we've had so far have been just that-- theoretical, slightly esoteric, difficult to metabolize, and quite frankly not very useful outside of an academic context--because as a citizen, I'm not sure I would a) be able to understand the tactics presented, or b) be able to apply them. Exceptions include Bal, Barthes, and a few others. As Domke so rightly pointed out, the role of an academic is to study relevant social, historical, literary political, economic, biological, [etc.] phenomena to serve the public good. I am more impressed by the scholars who can take complex concepts and theories, express and explain them in the societal vernacular, and educate and mobilize the general public than I am by academics who write long, esoteric treatises dealing with a highly specific and complex theory and never make their insight available to the general public. I am not eschewing the research of those passionate about researching a single poem or a single space, but I believe there are ways in which a scholar can make their experience and thought process relevant to today's world--after all, every event, text, and process has implications for society.
"Public scholarship and hope go hand in hand. When scholars highlight opportunities for social change, we offer hope. When scholars help people to negotiate systems in ways that more fully honor their humanity, we offer hope. When scholars provide tools that allow people to take greater control over personal and cultural choices, we offer hope. And when scholars drop our detachment and adopt an ethic of engagement, we offer hope. It is this emphasis—on the belief that together we can build a better world, a more perfect union of humanity—that drives me toward public scholarship."
-Domke
Domke is brilliant-- this is what frustrates me most about the academic world. What is the use of studying a phenomenon if the research is not intended to somehow improve the world? I feel like we've gotten trapped in a cycle of Marx-like "knowledge-fetishism," where instead of doggedly focusing on commodities as the object of desire we have focused on knowledge-- or perhaps the production of knowledge-- for the sake of knowledge. I have been presenting my own research at the Honors Research Colloquium, URP symposium, a conference, and several other venues these past few weeks, and I have been frustrated by the lack of "big-picture" thinking. Yes, I would agree that it's interesting to know that the color of a flower's stemen impacts its chance of being pollinated, but what implications does this have for agriculture? Even for our gardens-- can we change the color of the stemen and grow more flowers, meaning we don't need to use toxic fertilizers? Yes, it's interesting that a hit to the olfactory lobe affects cognitive processes, but does this change what we know about brain damage? It seems that many of the presenters to which I directed these questions hadn't considered the larger community, and I think that's a flaw in the academic system-- after all, what good is unapplied knowledge? Domke points out that research should be done collaboratively with the public in order to improve the world.
In terms of our project, I think that Ruben and I were very careful to choose a subject that has ripples throughout the world and we consistently focus on those implications for society. However, as to how best communicate something so senstitive to the public...Well, that's difficult. We have publicly accessible blogs, we could create something to post on youtube, we could write an article for a press source, I'm not sure how we would be able to impart the importance of this research to the larger community without offending someone.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Formulating a Question, Conceptualizing a Framework, Designing our Methodology
Driving Questions: What is the role of charismatic leadership (a la Bordieu) and specific institutions or organizations in encouraging particular behaviors and forms of engagement with the larger social and political community? How do spiritual leaders and institutions mobilize their constituencies outside the bounds of the [church, synagogue, mosque]? What are the role of religious institutions and faith systems more generally in initiating/developing broader social movements?
Specific Research Question: How do specific religious institutions (we are in the process of identifying one mosque, one church, one synagogue) encourage engagement with the Amsterdam community? What behaviors do they validate and promote (both in terms of interacting with people of different faiths and in terms of more secular Amsterdamian social behaviors like prostitution, pot, etc)?
Framework: Honestly, I don't feel like any of the frameworks fit our research project exactly (our specific church/synagogue/mosque is not necessarily a synecdoche for the larger religious organization as my peers have so clearly and correctly pointed out...) However, I feel like cultural tradition/memory can be shaped to our project is in the sense that these behaviors are deeply ingrained in and socialized into the congregations. Thinking about cultural tradition and memory in a Mieke Bal sense, she addresses ethnocentrism and ingrained cultural biases/attitudes through this framework. We are tackling a somewhat parallel issue-- ingrained behaviors and attitudes encouraged by the institution. In terms of Zwarte Piet, we would be studying the continuing drivers behind this tradition rather than its implications for society.
Methodology: Close reading and participant observation. We will close read interviews with spiritual leaders, bulletins, public materials, etc. and interpret the significance of not only the content but particular word choices and structural elements. We will observe sermons and services through our active and full participation (a la Ziesel) in them. I feel like the "secret outsider" position is unethical and marginal participation (simply sitting in a service and not engaging with the sermon and rituals [singing hymns, saying prayers, etc] does not allow us to understand the significance of the behaviors).
Specific Research Question: How do specific religious institutions (we are in the process of identifying one mosque, one church, one synagogue) encourage engagement with the Amsterdam community? What behaviors do they validate and promote (both in terms of interacting with people of different faiths and in terms of more secular Amsterdamian social behaviors like prostitution, pot, etc)?
Framework: Honestly, I don't feel like any of the frameworks fit our research project exactly (our specific church/synagogue/mosque is not necessarily a synecdoche for the larger religious organization as my peers have so clearly and correctly pointed out...) However, I feel like cultural tradition/memory can be shaped to our project is in the sense that these behaviors are deeply ingrained in and socialized into the congregations. Thinking about cultural tradition and memory in a Mieke Bal sense, she addresses ethnocentrism and ingrained cultural biases/attitudes through this framework. We are tackling a somewhat parallel issue-- ingrained behaviors and attitudes encouraged by the institution. In terms of Zwarte Piet, we would be studying the continuing drivers behind this tradition rather than its implications for society.
Methodology: Close reading and participant observation. We will close read interviews with spiritual leaders, bulletins, public materials, etc. and interpret the significance of not only the content but particular word choices and structural elements. We will observe sermons and services through our active and full participation (a la Ziesel) in them. I feel like the "secret outsider" position is unethical and marginal participation (simply sitting in a service and not engaging with the sermon and rituals [singing hymns, saying prayers, etc] does not allow us to understand the significance of the behaviors).
Monday, May 12, 2008
Telling, Showing, Showing Off and Extrapolating from Mieke Bal
In Telling, Showing, Showing off, Mieke Bal argues that racism and ethnocentrism are inherent in the layout of the American Museum. Western hegemony manifests itself in the manner in which the displays are organized--exhibits of "other" peoples and animals are shafted under and behind those from other cultures. While Mieke explicitly states that by accepting this layout as natural and refusing to engage in self-critical discourse the museum "has turned its luck into a lack," I wonder how the museum SHOULD be organized-- by remedying the juxtapostion of animals and foreign peoples, by facilitating "self-reflection" (thinking about the African peoples exhibit in particular), and by carefully evaluating underlying assumptions (for example, "the idea that wider political entities would be better than small scale political organization remains unargued"). In essence, my question is what do these theoretical concepts (self-criticism throughout the showing process rather than showing-off, careful assesment of all presumptions) look like in concrete form?
Thinking about the previous article "Telling, Showing, Showing Off" and the importance of integrating exhibits with self-criticism, I wonder if perhaps it is not better to continue the tradition of Zwarte Piet in the manner Mieke Bal has begun-- to question its underlying assumptions but still continue the practice itself. To showcase the ugliness of the tradition and yet still mark its place in Dutch society...I have been thinking about James E Young's work on Holocaust memorials (my original research project) and how these monuments or practices refresh collective memory and in fact deter a repeat event.
Thinking about the previous article "Telling, Showing, Showing Off" and the importance of integrating exhibits with self-criticism, I wonder if perhaps it is not better to continue the tradition of Zwarte Piet in the manner Mieke Bal has begun-- to question its underlying assumptions but still continue the practice itself. To showcase the ugliness of the tradition and yet still mark its place in Dutch society...I have been thinking about James E Young's work on Holocaust memorials (my original research project) and how these monuments or practices refresh collective memory and in fact deter a repeat event.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Media and Medium
Thinking about the easy accessibility of the internet and the professionalism of and validity lent to printed academic materials, I think the work Ruben and I plan to do in Amsterdam should be placed both a) on the internet (perhaps merely this blog) and b) in a formal academic paper setting. I can see why Mike Wesch would have chosen youtube as the most appropriate form of communicating his findings, considering his research centered around phenomena like youtube and other easily accessible, public-based sites. However I feel the subjects with which Ruben and I plan to engage-- religion and politics-- are too senstitive to ethically post our findings on such an informal and open means of communication. Thinking about the damage caused, stereotypes perpetrated, and impressions made by internet video releases like Fitna and Submission (which granted were partial and not objective research), I do not feel like a public domain or sharing medium would be an appropriate mode of communicating our research. I do however think that, considering the relevance of the interactions between religion and community, certain elements of our project deserve their airtime in a place accessible to an audience of our peers and those interested, possibly these blogs. However, for the most part I feel that an academic written form-- obviously not a book but perhaps an article or compilation of observations and insights-- is the most appropriate and ethical form of communicating our work. The conference will also be a suitable venue in which to share our study, in a place dedicated to the objective study of social phenomena rather than in the emotional public eye.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Social Movements
“Already existing church groups, clubs, special interest organizations, teams and recreational groups, community groups, PTAs, veterans and educational organizations support the development of social movements.”
DOBSON, CHARLES. Social Movements: A summary of what works. The Citizen's Handbook: A Guide to Building Community in Vancouver.
Religious beliefs, rituals, and institutions provide rich sources of inspiration for the advancement of social and political movements. What makes religion different from other sources of motivation for social movements? Just how do religious phenomena affect resource mobilization, framing, and political processes and opportunities of social movements and their participants?
“A social movement is a loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal, typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society's structure or values. Although social movements differ in size, they are all essentially collective. That is, they result from the more or less spontaneous coming together of people whose relationships are not defined by rules and procedures but who merely share a common outlook on society.”
"Social Movement." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
But is the initiation of a social movement necessarily spontaneous? What is the role of charismatic instigators (of which spiritual leaders are by definition) in inciting civil unrest and mobilizing their constituencies? Perhaps this "common outlook on society" is defined by a specific religion? And religion must facilitate social movements because it provides the collective-- people belong to a certain institution or organization and there is an existing social network of similar minded people with similiar goals (perhaps these goals are defined by the charismatic leader?) who are the existing collective. In Amsterdam, who are the charismatic leaders able to unite and mobilize the collective? For what "social goals?" And who constitutes the "collective" in each instance?
“Religion has long played a central role in many social and political movements. Solidarity in Poland, anti-apartheid in South Africa, Operation Rescue in the United States--each of these movements is driven by the energy and sustained by the commitment of many individuals and organizations whose ideologies are shaped and powered by religious faith. In many cases, religious resources and motives serve as crucial variables explaining the emergence of entire social movements.”
SMITH, C. (1996). Disruptive religion: the force of faith in social-movement activism. New York, Routledge.
World Concern: a Christian humanitarian organization with disaster relief and sustainable development programs in 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. We serve the last, the least, and the lost-- people in the displaced person camps of Sudan, people caught in the midst of political and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe, those suffering under the military junta in Myanmar... I began working for this organization after hearing a sermon (given by a charismatic church leader) emphasizing Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" The power of religious beliefs is reflected in the proliferation of religiously-motivated non-profits across the world. There are entire social movements-- in this case humanitarian work-- initiated and developed by religious beliefs and institutions. What social movements are inspired by individuals and religious communities in Amsterdam? What behaviors do religious leaders and religious texts encourage? Do religious leaders endorse political leaders? How do they create an atmosphere in which certain phenomena-- for instance, compassion, service, intolerance, hate--flourish? How do they mobilize people towards broader social movements-- what role do religious institutions have in the immigration debate? In fostering intracultural understanding or in creating divisions?
"Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives’ favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race."
DOBSON, CHARLES. Social Movements: A summary of what works. The Citizen's Handbook: A Guide to Building Community in Vancouver.
Religious beliefs, rituals, and institutions provide rich sources of inspiration for the advancement of social and political movements. What makes religion different from other sources of motivation for social movements? Just how do religious phenomena affect resource mobilization, framing, and political processes and opportunities of social movements and their participants?
“A social movement is a loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal, typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society's structure or values. Although social movements differ in size, they are all essentially collective. That is, they result from the more or less spontaneous coming together of people whose relationships are not defined by rules and procedures but who merely share a common outlook on society.”
"Social Movement." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
But is the initiation of a social movement necessarily spontaneous? What is the role of charismatic instigators (of which spiritual leaders are by definition) in inciting civil unrest and mobilizing their constituencies? Perhaps this "common outlook on society" is defined by a specific religion? And religion must facilitate social movements because it provides the collective-- people belong to a certain institution or organization and there is an existing social network of similar minded people with similiar goals (perhaps these goals are defined by the charismatic leader?) who are the existing collective. In Amsterdam, who are the charismatic leaders able to unite and mobilize the collective? For what "social goals?" And who constitutes the "collective" in each instance?
“Religion has long played a central role in many social and political movements. Solidarity in Poland, anti-apartheid in South Africa, Operation Rescue in the United States--each of these movements is driven by the energy and sustained by the commitment of many individuals and organizations whose ideologies are shaped and powered by religious faith. In many cases, religious resources and motives serve as crucial variables explaining the emergence of entire social movements.”
SMITH, C. (1996). Disruptive religion: the force of faith in social-movement activism. New York, Routledge.
World Concern: a Christian humanitarian organization with disaster relief and sustainable development programs in 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. We serve the last, the least, and the lost-- people in the displaced person camps of Sudan, people caught in the midst of political and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe, those suffering under the military junta in Myanmar... I began working for this organization after hearing a sermon (given by a charismatic church leader) emphasizing Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" The power of religious beliefs is reflected in the proliferation of religiously-motivated non-profits across the world. There are entire social movements-- in this case humanitarian work-- initiated and developed by religious beliefs and institutions. What social movements are inspired by individuals and religious communities in Amsterdam? What behaviors do religious leaders and religious texts encourage? Do religious leaders endorse political leaders? How do they create an atmosphere in which certain phenomena-- for instance, compassion, service, intolerance, hate--flourish? How do they mobilize people towards broader social movements-- what role do religious institutions have in the immigration debate? In fostering intracultural understanding or in creating divisions?
"Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives’ favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race."
Rich, Frank. 4 May 2008. The All-White Elephant in the Room. New York Times.
What effect does this have on McCain's candidacy? This church has one of the largest congregations in the world-- and Hagee has just mobilized the majority of it to vote for McCain....Look at the US evangelical Christian leaders who have inspired and furthered a social movement of conservative Christian values (abortion, gay marriage, etc.) and tied it to a larger political movement? How has this manifested itself in Amsterdam?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Continued...
Sorry guys, I didn't realize the second half of that had been cut off... And Clint, Dylan, and Julia, if you're interested my IS club is meeting next week to discuss the role of the media in facilitating democracy and the role of technology in sustaining an egalitarian society.
Architecture:
How people interact with space and how do these places incorporate and reflect the history and culture of the area in which they are built? You will study a particular site (in Jenny's case a particular shopping center) by close-reading the physical space itself, its "climate," and its inhabitants; researching the history of the location and its current uses (events, stores, people, etc.); and in Jenny's case, conducting a comparative study between two different shopping locations.
To be honest, it seems to me like you two have a fairly explicit research question and the ways in which you intend to research will allow you to answer it. I don't know if this is interesting to you, but in Jenny's case it seems like it would be fascinating to make one of your locations a US shopping mall (can I say mall or is it shopping center?) and compare your findings in say, Bellevue Square, to a shopping site in Amsterdam. Seeing as we have an undeniably consumerist culture and much of our public activity centers around a mall, I would think a comparison between the two sites would reflect on our societies more broadly and you could draw some insightful inferences as to the role of these consumer hubs in connecting people and communities in a place where a great amount of importance is placed on material objects and a place that doesn't necessarily have the same values. Studing Bell Square prior to leaving would also give you some practice in a familiar setting for your research methods in Amsterdam, I plan to go to a mosque before leaving Seattle and get an idea of what to expect.
Brands/Consumer Culture:
Eddy: How do stores create a unique culture that represents them, their mission, their values, and their product?
Haylee: How does does fashion create and perpetuate gender roles and identity? I think this is very interesting and especially relevant given the "idealized" portrayals of women in our media and the effects these have on young girls and women in general; I am excited to see what you find...
Katherine: How is fashion a form of self-expression? (Do you mean high-fashion or walking down the street fashion? Because if you mean walking-down-the-street fashion, it seems like you would want to incorporate interviews with people into your methodology, because analyzing their clothing and photos of them could cause you to draw incorrect inferences. For example, I asked Fiona why she wore so much black ("is it because black is a "bad-ass, hip" color?") and she was extremely offended, she simply likes the color. It seems like the self-identification part would be important, so actually asking people WHY the clothes they wear represent them and what conscious choices they make when they put on a certain outfit."
Communal Methods: Visit/close-read stores and informally interview employees (Eddy--I wonder how informative these interviews will be, seeing as marketing and brand conformance is usually determined by executives (with the help of a contracted designer of course) and then imposed on each individual shop, so while that will not be a problem in boutique stores like the image you showed us, it will pose a problem in chain stores where even the manager probably had little or no say in the company culture and the look of the store and is not necessarily able to articulate the impetus behind the decor; maybe you could also research the websites of chain stores and look at their missions and determine how the design of the shop fits with that?); analyze photographs/ads; surveys; interviews with people?
Architecture:
How people interact with space and how do these places incorporate and reflect the history and culture of the area in which they are built? You will study a particular site (in Jenny's case a particular shopping center) by close-reading the physical space itself, its "climate," and its inhabitants; researching the history of the location and its current uses (events, stores, people, etc.); and in Jenny's case, conducting a comparative study between two different shopping locations.
To be honest, it seems to me like you two have a fairly explicit research question and the ways in which you intend to research will allow you to answer it. I don't know if this is interesting to you, but in Jenny's case it seems like it would be fascinating to make one of your locations a US shopping mall (can I say mall or is it shopping center?) and compare your findings in say, Bellevue Square, to a shopping site in Amsterdam. Seeing as we have an undeniably consumerist culture and much of our public activity centers around a mall, I would think a comparison between the two sites would reflect on our societies more broadly and you could draw some insightful inferences as to the role of these consumer hubs in connecting people and communities in a place where a great amount of importance is placed on material objects and a place that doesn't necessarily have the same values. Studing Bell Square prior to leaving would also give you some practice in a familiar setting for your research methods in Amsterdam, I plan to go to a mosque before leaving Seattle and get an idea of what to expect.
Brands/Consumer Culture:
Eddy: How do stores create a unique culture that represents them, their mission, their values, and their product?
Haylee: How does does fashion create and perpetuate gender roles and identity? I think this is very interesting and especially relevant given the "idealized" portrayals of women in our media and the effects these have on young girls and women in general; I am excited to see what you find...
Katherine: How is fashion a form of self-expression? (Do you mean high-fashion or walking down the street fashion? Because if you mean walking-down-the-street fashion, it seems like you would want to incorporate interviews with people into your methodology, because analyzing their clothing and photos of them could cause you to draw incorrect inferences. For example, I asked Fiona why she wore so much black ("is it because black is a "bad-ass, hip" color?") and she was extremely offended, she simply likes the color. It seems like the self-identification part would be important, so actually asking people WHY the clothes they wear represent them and what conscious choices they make when they put on a certain outfit."
Communal Methods: Visit/close-read stores and informally interview employees (Eddy--I wonder how informative these interviews will be, seeing as marketing and brand conformance is usually determined by executives (with the help of a contracted designer of course) and then imposed on each individual shop, so while that will not be a problem in boutique stores like the image you showed us, it will pose a problem in chain stores where even the manager probably had little or no say in the company culture and the look of the store and is not necessarily able to articulate the impetus behind the decor; maybe you could also research the websites of chain stores and look at their missions and determine how the design of the shop fits with that?); analyze photographs/ads; surveys; interviews with people?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Reflection, Clarifications, Suggestions
Media and Technology:
I believe the question centered around the interaction of media and technology with one another and society at large. Methods included research of existing scholarly work, interviews with experts (who would ostensibly be news producers or consumers or academics or...? How are you defining "expert?"), and surveys and interviews to gauge reactions to and perceptions of media. Clifford suggested a case study of a particular news source, which seems like it would narrow the research subject and allow for deeper analysis and more definite conclusions, especially if you were to make a comparative study with a news source in the US.
While I realize this was not explicitly your question, I think the subject of information mediation-- or the way in which information is packaged and sold to consumers-- and the resulting implications for society (especially democratic societies) is central to the theme of media and technology. On that note, at the Provost's lecture last night someone asked Professor Migdal "How is it possible to foster democracy and increase the availability of information when all our sources [i.e. FOX, CNN] package it with a particular slant and intend for us to percieve it in a particular way?" and he responded by saying that "My only hope for the communication of information is the internet--because the facts are accessible, alternative opinions are provided, etc, and hopefully people will be informed in the most balanced possible way before taking action." I think this is an interesting distinction between media and technology, and in this case it appears the role of technology is to reign in the bias of the media... On another note, the societal implications would be an interesting concept to pursue-- whether a certain media source does or not present a biased account of events (perhaps bias could be defined by an omittance of a certain fact or the use of partial adjectives) and whether or not your interviewees percieve this slant.
While I realize that most sources (especially those from the internet) will be available in English, I wonder from which stations most Amsterdam natives extract their information. In other words, if you want to interview people on which sources they watch most frequently, it might be hard for you to analyze these yourself (I would assume most television broadcasting and newspapers are in Dutch...) And there's the fact that readers will interact differently with a source in English than one in their native tongue. That may be another layer of support for a case study of an internet source-- and I was thinking that perhaps a good way to collect your human subject pool would be to take out an ad in this source, while you would obviously get an unrepresentative sample of the population you're targeting those readers you need and whose perceptions you can gauge.
I believe the question centered around the interaction of media and technology with one another and society at large. Methods included research of existing scholarly work, interviews with experts (who would ostensibly be news producers or consumers or academics or...? How are you defining "expert?"), and surveys and interviews to gauge reactions to and perceptions of media. Clifford suggested a case study of a particular news source, which seems like it would narrow the research subject and allow for deeper analysis and more definite conclusions, especially if you were to make a comparative study with a news source in the US.
While I realize this was not explicitly your question, I think the subject of information mediation-- or the way in which information is packaged and sold to consumers-- and the resulting implications for society (especially democratic societies) is central to the theme of media and technology. On that note, at the Provost's lecture last night someone asked Professor Migdal "How is it possible to foster democracy and increase the availability of information when all our sources [i.e. FOX, CNN] package it with a particular slant and intend for us to percieve it in a particular way?" and he responded by saying that "My only hope for the communication of information is the internet--because the facts are accessible, alternative opinions are provided, etc, and hopefully people will be informed in the most balanced possible way before taking action." I think this is an interesting distinction between media and technology, and in this case it appears the role of technology is to reign in the bias of the media... On another note, the societal implications would be an interesting concept to pursue-- whether a certain media source does or not present a biased account of events (perhaps bias could be defined by an omittance of a certain fact or the use of partial adjectives) and whether or not your interviewees percieve this slant.
While I realize that most sources (especially those from the internet) will be available in English, I wonder from which stations most Amsterdam natives extract their information. In other words, if you want to interview people on which sources they watch most frequently, it might be hard for you to analyze these yourself (I would assume most television broadcasting and newspapers are in Dutch...) And there's the fact that readers will interact differently with a source in English than one in their native tongue. That may be another layer of support for a case study of an internet source-- and I was thinking that perhaps a good way to collect your human subject pool would be to take out an ad in this source, while you would obviously get an unrepresentative sample of the population you're targeting those readers you need and whose perceptions you can gauge.
I hope I didn't distort your research questions or intended plans, when you mentioned the word society this is the research design I imagined.
Tourists vs. Natives:
How do tourists and natives differ respectively and within their own communities? By observing appearances, languages, accents, behaviors, and interactions between an individual and other people and space; participating in both native and non-native activities (musuems, coffee shops, etc.); and conducting interviews with tourists and natives your group will determine the difference between natives and tourists in the context of Amsterdam arcades.
I'm thinking of a reading from SIS 202 concerning honor killings and vengenance murder. It was written by an anthropologist/sociologist discussing the role of the observer in observing and studying communities, and how it will never be possible for the researcher to understand or draw inferences from their work studying the natives without communing with the natives themselves, which will never be possible without actually BEING a native of that community. Therefore, while Flannery can communicate in Dutch and you will be mimicking the daily operations of natives, I wonder if it is possible to draw appropriate and empathetic conclusions from your observations. I will bring the volume for you two on Monday, it is difficult to articulate the concept but it challenges the conventional wisdom of impartial outsider observer and discusses the need to be participatory.
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