Abstract
Panel 20 - Collaboration in New Configurations: Ethnologists’ Teaching and Research in Multidisciplinary Settings
In this presentation I would like to talk about the feelings that multidisciplinary work may evoke. When an ethnologist leaves the mothership, the department of Ethnology, and seeks new ways, a feeling of homesickness is likely to emerge, notwithstanding the free choice. In a new interdisciplinary context basic theoretical concepts are suddenly questioned, research methods are scrutinized, and research ideas are openly dismissed by colleagues. It can be challenging – but also rewarding. Gradually, the identity as an ethnologist may grow stronger, or appear as no longer crucial.
My own academic journey brought me to the department of Communication and Media at Lund University where I work as a researcher and assistant professor since 2009. Back then, I suffered from severe homesickness and felt like an academic satellite; alone, misplaced, and misunderstood. I cannot pinpoint exactly when or why things started to change, but now I feel confident and satisfied in the role as one of two ethnologists at my department. I would like to scrutinize these ambivalent feelings as they are phenomena that have something important to say about culture and social life.
In this presentation I would like to talk about the feelings that multidisciplinary work may evoke. When an ethnologist leaves the mothership, the department of Ethnology, and seeks new ways, a feeling of homesickness is likely to emerge, notwithstanding the free choice. In a new interdisciplinary context basic theoretical concepts are suddenly questioned, research methods are scrutinized, and research ideas are openly dismissed by colleagues. It can be challenging – but also rewarding. Gradually, the identity as an ethnologist may grow stronger, or appear as no longer crucial.
My own academic journey brought me to the department of Communication and Media at Lund University where I work as a researcher and assistant professor since 2009. Back then, I suffered from severe homesickness and felt like an academic satellite; alone, misplaced, and misunderstood. I cannot pinpoint exactly when or why things started to change, but now I feel confident and satisfied in the role as one of two ethnologists at my department. I would like to scrutinize these ambivalent feelings as they are phenomena that have something important to say about culture and social life.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| Event | 33 Nordic Ethnology and Folklore Conference, 2015: "CO" – Co-productions, collaborations, contestations coming together in Copenhagen - University of Copenhagen, Southern Campus, Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 2015 Aug 18 → 2015 Aug 21 Conference number: 33 http://conferences.saxo.ku.dk/33-nordic-ethnology-and-folklore-conference/ |
Conference
| Conference | 33 Nordic Ethnology and Folklore Conference, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Denmark |
| City | Copenhagen |
| Period | 2015/08/18 → 2015/08/21 |
| Internet address |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Media and Communication Studies