Eurograd message

                Dear Colleagues,



we kindly invite you to participate in the workshop "Methodologies for code
in ethnographic research. From theory to practice", taking place July 2 and
3 2021 online. Please find information on thematic focus, format and
application below.



Best regards

Rebecca Carlson, Ruth Dorothea Eggel, Lina Franken, Sarah Thanner und Libue
Hannah Vepek





Workshop: Methodologies for code in ethnographic research. From theory to
practice



Event description:

Some research fields force us to look explicitly at computer code, for
example, when we study coding practices, programmers or software engineers.
At the same time, code is ubiquitous today, and also present in more subtle
forms, as it is the ground for every digital phenomenon. Consequently, code
is nothing we encounter in our research by accident or chance, but a
perspective we have to include for a necessary understanding of digital
practices. Thus, code is not a defined category but rather a methodological
perspective that should be considered in every anthropology of the digital.
With the introduction of Critical Code Studies, Software Studies, and
Critical Algorithm Studies, computer code has become an integral subject of
study in the humanities and social sciences. Drawing from this, we aim to
develop concise methods for ethnographic research with code.

Code is part of a complex and constantly evolving system. It never exists as
a single entity but is embedded in socio-material networks consisting of
various human and non-human entities. Ethnography, then, is uniquely suited
to its study. Theories in cultural anthropology also present fertile ground
for the development of methods for ethnographers to apply in the field.
Although code has drawn the attention of cultural anthropologists, and
appeared as a focal point in recent digital ethnographies, the groundwork
for establishing useful methodological approaches, whether through
adaptation or invention, is still being laid. In this workshop we want to
bring together those working in ethnography to discuss their methods,
challenges and innovations in order to develop a methodological toolkit for
the analysis of code that helps researchers, even those new to the study of
code, to move from theory to practice.



The topics we wish to address include - but are not limited to:

Different modes of approaching code

Ethnographic methods emphasize combining a set of qualitative approaches
that can get at social complexity and attend to complex systems at various
scales. Ethnographic research on code must consider, select and adapt the
methodological tools, or approaches, that are best suited to any particular
research question/setting. How do we best approach this need in research
practice?

Methods could include reading code (alone or with others), talking about
code, studying code through participation, drawing boundaries around
code-embedded networks and deciding which aspects to attend to in the field.

Different modes of framing code

As code is part of a complex socio-material network, there are various ways
to frame code for data collection and analysis; this includes considering
which manifestation(s) of code to focus on during data collection. What
framings have been applied so far and what might be future theoretical
paths?

Theoretical framings might include code as practice, code as language,
everyday materializations of code such as objects and infrastructures,
socio-structural and political aspects of code, historicity and power
relations of and around code, scales and the embeddedness of code.



Aim of the workshop:

This is a hands-on workshop. We invite ethnographers from across disciplines
who encounter code in their research and are working to adapt and improve
ethnographic methods and who would like to contribute to a collaborative,
open discussion. Building on an ongoing collaboration that emerged from an
exploratory workshop in 2020, the goal of this workshop is to further deepen
the discussion and to continue to build an online working group focused on
the ethnographic study of code.



Schedule:

Friday, July 2nd and Saturday, July 3rd

*All times are in CEST (Central European Summer Time)

Friday: 14:00-18:30

Saturday: 14:00-18:30



Format:

The workshop will take place on Zoom.

The purpose of this online workshop is to interact and to deeply discuss
ethnographic methods for researching code. Therefore, the focus is not on
conference-style presentations, but rather on short inputs and reflections
from participants who are interested in sharing and workshopping their
research experiences, followed by detailed collaborative discussions.

Application:

To apply please fill in the Google form (link below) and answer a few
questions about your research, how you approach code methodologically and if
you would be willing to give a short, practical-based live presentation, to
be workshopped together and discussed by all participants.

Application link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7Xb_dlqc8uZaP-0CnmfqlIQrVompsxto1
CXdeSG7584v_XQ/viewform?usp=sf_link



Application closes on May 25, 2021

Accepted participants will be informed by June 4, 2021



Organizers:

Rebecca Carlson, Toyo University

Ruth Dorothea Eggel, University of Bonn

Lina Franken, LMU Munich

Sarah Thanner, University of Regensburg

Libue Hannah Vepek, LMU Munich



Link to event page:
https://www.goingdigital.de/workshop-methodologies-for-code-in-ethnographic-
research-from-theory-to-practice/





---

Vertr.-Prof. Dr. Lina Franken

Computational Social Sciences

Institut fr Soziologie

LMU Mnchen

Konradstr. 6

80801 Mnchen

E-Mail:  
lina.franken@soziologie.uni-muenchen.de
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