Workshop: Research Ethics in Biography Research
July 2, 2021 2024-09-04 16:36Workshop: Research Ethics in Biography Research
Workshop
Research Ethics in Biography Research
Department of Sociology, University of Crete (online via zoom)
Saturday, 3rd July 2021
In this workshop we will discuss and reflect on ethical questions in biography research. The adoption
of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the European Union in May 2018 has made us all
more aware of the various ethical challenges involved in biographical research. Researchers have to
reflect and adequately deal with a number of ethical questions and challenges in the field research
process. The different challenges concern the research relationship or research alliance with regard to
questions of trust, power hierarchies, and mutual as well as differing interests concerning research
questions, aims, and procedures. Furthermore, questions arise regarding “informed consent” as an
ongoing process and a dialogue, the moral and legal rights of research participants, the notion of
authenticity and truth of the narrated life stories, issues of confidentiality, and protection of sensitive
personal data. Finally, there are questions that concern the archiving of biographical data and the
social and political consequences for secondary analysis or public accessibility.
The first part of the workshop will be introduced by a public lecture by Hella von Unger (LudwigMaximilians University of Munich), which will be followed by a discussion on current theoretical issues
relating to ethics in qualitative biographical research. In the afternoon session, open only to registered
participants, we will discuss ethical dilemmas and challenges that arise in the field of biographical
research, when conducting biographical-narrative interviews and carrying out reconstructive
biographical case analysis. In this part of the workshop participants will have an opportunity to present
and discuss ethical challenges that they have encountered in the research process or in the public
presentation of their work.
We would like to invite PhD students and other scholars who are working with biographical methods
to participate in our workshop and discuss the ethical challenges they have encountered in their
research practice.
For organizational reasons, the number of participants of the workshop is limited. There is no fee for
registration.Program
Saturday, 3
rd July 2021
11.00 (Greek time zone) Welcome and Introduction
Giorgos Tsiolis (University of Crete) & Irini Siouti (Institute for Social Research Frankfurt/FUAS)
11.15-13.00 Part I: Public Lecture and Discussion
Keynote: Hella von Unger (Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich): “Ethical reflexivity in qualitative
biographical research: Food for thought on informed consent, questions of representation and data
archiving.”
Chair: Riki Van Boeschoten (Greek Oral History Association)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98056511277?pwd=NkdpdUpWaXpUdmVkQjVRSGhHMHY4QT09
Meeting ID: 980 5651 1277
Passcode: 342031
16.30-19.30 Part II: Research Workshop with Hella von Unger (only registered participants)
Ethical Challenges in Biography Research: Examples from ongoing research projects of the participants.
19.30 -20.00 Closing Remarks
Chair: Irini Siouti (Institute for Social Research Frankfurt) & Giorgos Tsiolis (University of Crete)
Organizers:
Prof. Dr. Giorgos Tsiolis, Department of Sociology, University of Crete – Head of the Department, EMail: tsiolisg@uoc.gr
Prof. Dr. Irini Siouti, Institute for Social Research Frankfurt/Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences,
Speaker of the Section Biography Research, German Sociological Association E-Mail: siouti@soz.unifrankfurt.de
Emeritus Prof. Dr. Riki Van Boeschoten, University of Thessaly, Chair of the Greek Oral History
Association, E-Mail: rvboes@gmail.com
The workshop is organized by the Greek Oral History Association and the Department of Sociology
(University of Crete) in cooperation with the section Biography Research of the German Sociological
Association, the RC 38 Biography and Society of the International Sociological Association
Workshop in Research Ethics in Biography Research / Department of Sociology, University of Crete (online via zoom)
Saturday, 3rd July 2021
In this workshop we will discuss and reflect on ethical questions in biography research.
We would like to invite PhD students and other scholars who are working with biographical methods to participate in our workshop and discuss the ethical challenges they have encountered in their research practice.
For organizational reasons, the number of participants of the workshop is limited. There is no fee for registration.
Please read more here.
