Author: Dirk vom Lehn

Just out – “Making Space for Art: A Spatial Perspective of Disruptive and Defensive Institutional Work in Venezuela’s Art World” Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) by Victoria Rodner, Thomas Roulet, Finola Kerrigan and Dirk vom Lehn

Announcement, museums, sociology

We have just published an article based on Victoria Rodner’s excellent PhD thesis in the Academy of Management Journal (AMJ). Drawing on longitudinal ethnographic and interview data the article explore how space is leveraged in institutional work, our study foregrounds the socio-political nature of space, building on and expanding the theorization of Lefebvre.

The article can be downloaded by clicking the link below:

“Making Space for Art: A Spatial Perspective of Disruptive and Defensive Institutional Work in Venezuela’s Art World”

by Victoria Rodner (@VictoriaLRodner), Thomas Roulet (@thomroulet), Finola Kerrigan (@finolak) and Dirk vom Lehn (@dirkvl)

Abstract

The physical and material aspects of space, such as geographical distance or boundaries, have social and symbolic consequences that impact how people influence and are influenced by institutions. Social actors can however contest how space is conceived, perceived and lived, thus making space a crucial lever in the disruption and defense of institutions. However, we lack understanding of the spatial aspects of such institutional struggles. In exploring how space is leveraged in institutional work, our study foregrounds the socio-political nature of space, building on and expanding the theorization of Lefebvre. We draw on an in-depth longitudinal analysis of the material, social and symbolic aspects of the spatial dimensions of disruptive and defensive institutional work over the past twenty years in Venezuela’s art world. Following the Bolivarian Revolution in the late 1990s, the incoming government transformed the organization of the national cultural landscape, resulting in a prolonged period of institutional disruption and defense. We demonstrate that actors use the material, social, and symbolic dimensions of space to challenge and maintain their key values and practices, and that those three dimensions are intertwined.

Keywords

Institutional theory, Emerging economies, Policy environment, International Management, Ethnography, Interviews

https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.1030

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SSSI 2019 – Thematic Panel: “Symbolic Interactionism and the Resurgent Interest in Organization and Management” #sociology #sssi #organizationstudies #management

Announcement, interaction, interactionism

At this year’s conference of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Patrick McGinty (Western Illinois University) and I will organise a Thematic Panel titled “Symbolic Interactionism and the Resurgent Interest in Organization and Management”.

The panel has been motivated by recent publications on the influence of interactionist research on and contribution to management and organisation studies. These publication have highlighted the curious mutual disregard of interactionism and organisational analysis and management studies. This panel will bring together interactionist scholarship that over recent years has undertaken considerable efforts in bringing the debates in these areas together and pushing forward the interactionist research of management and organization, both through theorizing and research.

More details on the panel’s speakers and presentations have been published in the SSSI 2019 Programme.

 

Relevant References

Dingwall, Robert, and Phil M Strong. “The Interactional Study of Organizations.” Journal Of Contemporary Ethnography14, no. 2 (1985): 205–31.
Fine, Gary Alan. “Justifying Work: Occupational Rhetorics as Resources in Restaurant Kitchens.” Administrative Science Quarterly41, no. 1 (1996): 90–115.
Gibson, Will, and Dirk vom Lehn. Institutions, Interaction and Social Theory. Oxford: Palgrave, 2017.
Grills, Scott, and Robert Prus. “Management Motifs: An Interactionist Approach for the Study of Organizational Interchange. New York: Springer. 2018.

Harrington, Brooke. Capital without Borders : Wealth Managers and the One Percent. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.

Hallett, Tim, and Marc Ventresca. “Inhabited Institutions: Social Interactions and Organizational Forms in Gouldner’s Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy.” Theory and Society35, no. 2 (April 2006): 213–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-006-9003-z.

Llewellyn, Nick, and Jon Hindmarsh. Organisation, Interaction and Practice: Studies of Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: CUP, 2010. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0521881366.

McGinty, Patrick J. W. “Divided and Drifting: Interactionism and the Neglect of Social Organizational Analyses in Organization Studies: The Neglect of Social Organizational Analyses.” Symbolic Interaction37, no. 2 (May 2014): 155–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.101.

Norris, Dawn R. Job Loss, Identity, and Mental Health. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2016.
Sapir, Adi, and Nahoko Kameo. “Rethinking Loose Coupling of Rules and Entrepreneurial Practices among University Scientists: A Japan–Israel Comparison.” The Journal of Technology Transfer44, no. 1 (February 2019): 49–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9596-6
Watson, Patrick G. “‘Common Sense Geography’ and the Elected Official: Technical Evidence and Conceptions of ‘Trust’ in Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway Decision.” Canadian Journal of Sociology43, no. 1 (March 31, 2018): 49–76. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs27058.

Garfinkel, Ethnomethodology and Studies of Interaction #emca #sociology #interactionism https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-019-09496-5

Ethnomethodology, Garfinkel, interaction, Phenomenology, Schutz, sociology

vom Lehn, D. (2019). From Garfinkels’ ‘Experiments in Miniature’ to the Ethnomethodological Analysis of Interaction. Human Studies, 42(2), 305-326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-019-09496-5

vomLehn-2019-Experiments

#Garfinkel #ethnomethodology #sociology #interaction #interactionism

New Online Course on Communication Skills in Optometry #optometry #training #communication

Announcement, experience, optometry

The College of Optometrists has recently launched a new online course on communication skills in optometry. The course, open to members of the College of Optometrists only, is aimed at newly qualified members and those returning to work. It will take participants through the stages of an eye examination and look at ways to improve communication skills. One non-interactive CET point is available and communication and standards of practice competencies are covered.

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Good communication can increase patient confidence in your knowledge and skills and result in greater patient satisfaction. It can also lead to more accurate test results and improved compliance with treatment plans. 

In this course you will cover the key stages of the eye examination:

·         meeting the patient

·         understanding patients’ concerns 

·         carrying out clinical tests 

·         delivering findings

·         ensuring patient compliance 

·         patient-centred care.

Activities are followed by hints and tips sections on open and closed questions and active listening.

This course is based on the results of research projects undertaken by King’s College London, the Institute of Education and the College of Optometrists from 2009 onwards. The projects investigated how optometrists conduct eye examinations and how their findings were communicated to patients.

Publications from the projects can be found HERE.

A description of the Knowledge Transfer Project funded by the ESRc and the College of Optometrists can be found HERE.

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CfP – ‘The Senses in Social Interaction – Symbolic Interaction Special Issue

Announcement, Call for Papers

Co-edited by Will Gibson (University College London, Institute of Education) & Dirk vom Lehn (King’s College London) 

Extended Submission Deadline: August 25th, 2019

Symbolic Interaction invites submissions for a Special Issue exploring the role of the senses in social interaction. Our particular concern is with how the senses are invoked in communicative practice in everyday life and how people make their sensorial experiences accountable to one another. The papers will mark a turning point in the study of the senses by analysing empirically senses as interactional phenomena — i.e. how people communicate about the senses; how talk, gesture, gaze, material artefacts, physical environments, and other resources are used to make the senses accountable to other participants; and how senses are made relevant and observable to unfolding interaction. We regard this approach as contrasting with existing research in the field that often looks at the ‘cultural significance’ of sensorial action or at the phenomenological experience and the meanings of sensorial action in absence of a close analysis of the interaction order in which such meanings are situated. 

Studies have begun to explore the ways that the sensorial activities figure in and configure social practices, and how they play a role in the structuring of contextually specific ‘practical relevancies’ (Mann 2018). We are particularly interested in research that develops this idea by looking at how the senses become relevant to ‘making something happen’. This ‘something’ may be in an organisational context, such as at work or in an organisationally ‘structured’ experience like visiting a gallery or going to a concert. Similarly, papers may look at more mundane contexts such as chatting, shopping, eating/drinking either in private or public spaces. A part of our interest is in exploring the methodological challenges in studying the senses (Vannini et al., 2012). In the light of this, we would be keen to publish a variety of methodological approaches from different theoretical perspectives, and to include work that uses a range of methods including observations and video methods, but also more experimental forms using contemporary modes of data representation from the arts. 

We welcome tentative expressions of interest and are happy to explore the fit of possible research papers with the above theme. Full papers should be submitted to the online system of Symbolic Interaction. Please select the tab related to this Special Issue when submitting your paper, or indicate in your cover letter that your paper is for the Special Issue. 

Deadline for submission is August 25th, 2019. Papers should not be longer than 8000 words (inclusive of references). Please follow the submission guidelines for the Symbolic Interaction journal. You will be informed by mid-October if your paper has been accepted for the Special Issue and if revisions are required to prepare the paper for publication. 

Will Gibson – w.gibson@ucl.ac.uk – Dirk vom Lehn – dirk.vom_lehn@kcl.ac.uk 

References 

Mann A (2018) Ordering tasting in a restaurant: experiencing, socializing, and processing food. The Senses and Society 13(2). 135–146. 

Vannini P, Waskul D and Gottschalk S (2013) The Senses in Self, Society, and Culture: A Sociology of the Senses (Contemporary Sociological Perspectives). Routledge. 

PhD Studentship at King’s College London with Royal Academy ‘Information, Interaction and Interpretation in Museums and Galleries’ #sociology #EMCA #museum #art

Uncategorized

Information, Interaction and Interpretation in Museums and Galleries

Ph.D Studentship: King’s College London with the Royal Academy, London

King’s Business School, Doctoral Programme, King’s College London

 

Studentship start date: October 2019

Application Deadline: 22ndFebruary 2019

https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/case-studentships-student-applicants/#1543419212249-53f51303-994d

We seek applications for a studentship to undertake a Ph.D at the King’s Business School, King’s College London, in close collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, London. The project will examine how visitors use information provided by museums and galleries, for example through labels, gallery cards and electronic devices, in exploring, discussing and interpreting works of art. It will focus on the interaction of visitors and the ways in which resources provided by museums and galleries inform how people engage works of art and participate within exhibitions. Data for the project will consist of audio-visual recordings of ‘naturally occurring’ conduct and interaction within museums and galleries augmented by field studies, interviews of visitors, curators and designers, and textual analysis. The project will also involve undertaking a series of small-scale, ‘experiments’ in actual exhibitions in which we make systematic changes to the information provided to visitors. The project will contribute to contemporary developments in studies of social interaction and in particular our understanding of how the sense and significance of art arises in and through talk, embodied conduct and the use of material and digital resources. It will also contribute to practice, – how the particular resources provided by museums and galleries bear upon the ways in which people engage art and participate in exhibitions. The successful applicant will be supervised by Professor Christian Heath, Dr Dirk vom Lehn (King’s College London) and Dr Maurice Davies (Head of Collections) Royal Academy, London.

Applicants should have a background in the social sciences and some familiarity with qualitative methods and research. The applicant is expected to have an interest in art and museums and galleries. The studentship may fund a one year MSc, followed by a three year studentship to undertake the Ph.D or if the applicant will have already secured an MSc. Or MA, then fund the undertaking the PhD only. We will only consider applicants that are expected to gain a 1stor at least an upper 2:1 in their final degree.

To be eligible for a full award (stipend and fees), you must be ordinarily resident in the UK, meaning there are no restrictions on how long you can stay, and have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for at least three years prior to the start of the studentship grant.

Further information on the eligibility criteria for full awards can be found on the UKCISA website: www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information–Advice/Fees-and-Money/Government-Student-Support

To find out more about of the studentship and the proposed project please contact either Professor Christian Heath (christian.heath@kcl.ac.uk)or Dr Dirk vom Lehn (dirk.vom_lehn@kcl.ac.uk). The final deadline for applications is 22ndof February 2019 but we would very much welcome applications before that date.

LISS DTP (liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk) can answer any general questions regarding the application process, core methods training requirements etc.

To be accepted, applications must include:

  • a completed ESRC LISS DTP Collaborative (CASE) Application Form
  • a copy of your CV
  • 2 academic references, or 1 academic and 1 professional reference (these should be sent directly to liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk by your referees)
  • copies of transcripts for all relevant degrees

These materials should be sent BOTH to liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk and the project academic lead by the deadline.

https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/case-studentships-student-applicants/#1543419212249-53f51303-994d

 

 

Call for Papers – ‘The Senses in Social Interaction’ – Symbolic Interaction #sssi #sociology

Uncategorized

Special Issue – The Senses in Social Interaction

 

Co-edited by

Will Gibson (University College London, Institute of Education) & Dirk vom Lehn (King’s College London)

 

Symbolic Interaction invites submissions for a Special Issue exploring the role of the senses in social interaction. Our particular concern is with how the senses are invoked in communicative practice in everyday life and how people make their sensorial experiences accountable to one another. The papers will mark a turning point in the study of the senses by analysing empirically senses as interactional phenomena — i.e. how people communicate about the senses; how talk, gesture, gaze, material artefacts, physical environments, and other resources are used to make the senses accountable to other participants; and how senses are made relevant and observable to unfolding interaction. We regard this approach as contrasting with existing research in the field that often looks at the ‘cultural significance’ of sensorial action or at the phenomenological experience and the meanings of sensorial action in absence of a close analysis of the interaction order in which such meanings are situated.

Studies have begun to explore the ways that the sensorial activities figure in and configure social practices, and how they play a role in the structuring of contextually specific ‘practical relevancies’ (Mann 2018). We are particularly interested in research that develops this idea by looking at how the senses become relevant to ‘making something happen’. This ‘something’ may be in an organisational context, such as at work or in an organisationally ‘structured’ experience like visiting a gallery or going to a concert. Similarly, papers may look at more mundane contexts such as chatting, shopping, eating/drinking either in private or public spaces. A part of our interest is in exploring the methodological challenges in studying the senses (Vannini et al., 2013). In the light of this, we would be keen to publish a variety of methodological approaches from different theoretical perspectives, and to include work that uses a range of methods including observations and video methods, but also more experimental forms using contemporary modes of data representation from the arts.

We welcome tentative expressions of interest and are happy to explore the fit of possible research papers with the above theme.

Full papers should be submitted to the online system of Symbolic Interaction. Please select the tab related to this Special Issue when submitting your paper, or indicate in your cover letter that your paper is for the Special Issue. When preparing your paper please follow the author submission guidelines of Symbolic Interaction.

Deadline for submission is May 30, 2019. You will be informed by July 15 if your paper has been accepted for the Special Issue and if revisions are required to prepare the paper for publication.

To submit your article, please go HERE.

In case of any questions, please contact Will Gibson (w.gibson@ucl.ac.uk) and/or Dirk vom Lehn (dirk.vom_lehn@kcl.ac.uk).

 

References

Mann A (2018) Ordering tasting in a restaurant: experiencing, socializing, and processing food. The Senses and Society 13(2). 135–146.

Vannini P, Waskul D and Gottschalk S (2013) The Senses in Self, Society, and Culture: A Sociology of the Senses (Contemporary Sociological Perspectives). Routledge.

Besprechung von Thomas S. Eberle “Fotografie und Gesellschaft” in FQS #bookreview #Wissenssoziologie #visuelleSoziologie #Fotografie #Phaenomenologie

Book Review, Phenomenology, Schutz

Besprechung von Thomas S. Eberle “Fotografie und Gesellschaft” in FQS

Der Band “Fotografie und Gesellschaft“, den Thomas S. EBERLE herausgeben hat, leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag zu laufenden Debatten über Visualität und visuelle Wahrnehmung. Mit enger Bindung an die an Alfred SCHÜTZ’s Phänomenologie anschließende Wissenssoziologie wird in den 25 Kapiteln die Fotografie als soziales Phänomen analysiert. Die jeweiligen AutorInnen beschäftigen sich mit der Produktions- und Rezeptionsästhetik, indem sie sowohl das Fotografieren als auch die Betrachtung und den Umgang mit Fotografien analysieren. Zudem werden die Analysen dazu benutzt, über den Status von Bildern in ihrer Beziehung zur von SCHÜTZ sogenannten “Wirkwelt” zu reflektieren. Der Band zeichnet sich durch ein umfangreiches Spektrum an theoretischen und empirischen Analysen sowie durch zahlreiche qualitativ-hochwertige Fotografien aus, die nicht etwa nur illustrativen Zwecken dienen, sondern eine zentrale Bedeutung für die Analysen haben. “Fotografie und Gesellschaft” ist SoziologInnen zu empfehlen, die ein Interesse an Visualität und an der Analyse der visuellen Wahrnehmung haben. Erfahrung mit der Wissenssoziologie erleichtert es den Lesenden, den Analysen zu folgen, aber die Lektüre des Bandes kann auch dazu dienen, die Möglichkeiten der Wissenssoziologie kennenzulernen.