Category / Fusion themes

BA Blindness and Media Engagement Project led by Dr. Catalin Brylla

Awarded & submitted bids, Knowledge Exchange

Dr. Catalin Brylla has successfully completed the first stage of his British Academy-funded project Blindness and Media Engagement – A Model for Improving Wellbeing through Research and Intervention. The lives of blind people have been negatively affected by social exclusion, as well as the sensory challenges of having impaired vision. This project explores the engagement with digital media for improving physical, psychological, social and economic wellbeing in the visually impaired community.

The project has partnered up with three sight loss service providers, Beyond Sight Loss, Dorset Blind Association and the Thomas Pocklington Trust, to develop a model for engaging blind and partially sighted people with digital media, such as blogging, vlogging, video making, podcasting and setting up film clubs. The aim is to empower them to improve their wellbeing and resist social exclusion. In the spirit of “Nothing about us without us” (Charlton, 1998), this research is participatory, through which partners and their members are major stakeholders and co-creators in the research process.The project first maps the field by evaluating the opportunities and obstacles of digital media engagement taking into account how the intersection of multiple social identities (e.g. disability, gender, age, ethnicity and religion) affect lived experiences. Then, the team designs and delivers workshops on media creation and consumption, studying the short-term impact on the participants’ engagement and wellbeing.

Mapping the Field of Media Engagement

The team held two, in-person knowledge exchange workshops with the partners in order to introduce the team and the project’s objectives, as well as to discuss the role of digital media and wellbeing in the VI community. The main aim was to hear about lived experiences of creating and consuming media. They discussed social and personal barriers to media engagement, as well as how active media use can improve the lives of visually impaired people. They linked these insights to the partners’ agendas, their current and past media initiatives and their existing resources. This helped tentatively identifying opportunities and strategies for co-designing media engagement training for their members.

 

 

The full project team consists of:

  • Dr. Catalin Brylla – Principal Lecturer in Film and TV (Principal Investigator), Bournemouth University
  • Professor Anica Zeyen – Professor in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, Royal Holloway, University of London (Co-Investigator)
  • Dr. Jessica Hayton – Associate Professor in Psychology, University College London (Co-Investigator)
  • Dr. Ibrahim Emara – Lecturer in Journalism, Tamta University (Co-Investigator)
  • Dr Angharad Butler-Rees – Research Fellow, University of Birmingham (PDRA)
  • Dr. Kate Jupp – Public Involvement Officer, Bournemouth University

New paper: Tourism and transport use in Bali, Indonesia

international, student research

Congratulations to BUBS PhD student Rama Permana on the publication of his paper ‘The (un)sustainability of rural tourism travel in the Global South: A social practice theory perspective’ in the International Journal of Tourism Research. The paper draws on a series of semi-structured interviews with tourists and destination stakeholders which explore tourists’ rural travel practices in Bali, Indonesia. The paper uses a social practices perspective to explore how Bali’s transport provision has evolved to meet residents’ needs for travel and income generation, shaping the options for tourists. The paper highlights how transition to more sustainable transport use is challenging when local populations are invested in existing transport provision and how this provision has become part of the tourism experience. 

New sociology paper Freedom from Academentia

international, open access, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Laura Favaro, Lecturer in Social Science in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, who published the paper ‘Let us be free from “ACADEMENTIA”’ this last weekend of June [1].   “Survivor of academentia” is how one former lecturer in sociology described herself when to Laura interviewed her for her ethnography of academia. In particular, the research explored the “gender wars”, namely the disputes around sex and gender that have escalated dramatically since the mid 2010s in Britain and increasingly also in many other countries. This article builds on feminist and other critical uses of the term academentia with original insights from interview and document data about the detrimental impact of queer theory and politics. The hope is to stimulate further inquiry into the push towards queering at universities, and beyond, as well as into the connections between the
transgender and mad movements.

The content of this paper has been covered by writer Victoria Smith in  The Critic  and Laura will be presenting about this exciting topic at a conference this summer.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

Reference:

Favaro, L. (2024) Let us be free from “Academentia”, Cuestiones de género: de la igualdad y la diferencia. Nº. 19: 659-92.

 

Free Research Event – Wednesday 26th June – A Celebration of Sustainable Food Related Research

BU Research Centre CSSRC is celebrating its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around sustainable food on Wednesday 26th June 2024, 4.45-7.00pm.

The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) invites you to attend its research event on Wednesday 26th June 2024 to celebrate its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around sustainable food. After a welcome refreshment this interesting and informative event will comprise of three topical presentation sessions, each lead by a member of CSSRC, as outlined below. Opportunity for discussions and networking over drinks and nibbles after the talks will round off the event.

Session 1: FoodMAPP: Local food supply communicated through a transactional searchable MAP based APPlication

FoodMAPP is a European funded research project that is developing a searchable map-based platform that will enable consumers to search and buy food products directly from local suppliers. Currently within Europe food is transported, on average, 171km from farm to fork. 26 per cent of global carbon emissions come from food and large volumes of food are wasted. The FoodMAPP project aims to address these challenges by enabling consumers to identify and purchase local sources of food in real time to shorten supply chains and reduce food waste, while also providing additional sustainable income to food producers and providers. The project, led by Professor of Consumer Behaviour Jeff Bray, consists of a consortium of European partners, comprising academic partners in Croatia, Hungary, Spain and Belgium and industry partners in France & Austria. In this session Professor Bray will introduce the project and discuss current insights from it.

Session 2: Assessing the impact of food prices on consumption and health

Professor of Economics Tim Lloyd will present this session and introduce this Defra funded project. The overall aim of this project is to develop user-friendly software, underpinned by theory and modelling that will provide Defra with the capacity to assess the potential impacts of external and internal shocks and the outcome of potential policy options, not just on prices but on food consumption more generally, including the health impacts across socio-economic groups, while addressing the resilience of the UK food chain and environmental challenges. The project has Defra Funding for two years and is a collaboration with the University of Exeter, that develops previous work on food price modelling in relation to Brexit that formed the basis of an Impact Case submitted to UoA17 (Business and Management) in REF2021. The current project started in December 2023 and is in its early phase of development. The BU team comprises Tim Lloyd (Professor of Economics) and Adam Witt (ECR) from the Department of Accounting Finance and Economics in BUBS. It is envisioned that the output of the project will augment the government’s analytical capacity in the politically sensitive area of food prices and form an Impact Case Study for REF2029.

Session 3: An exploration of alternative food network practices

The landscape of food systems is evolving, with alternative food networks (AFNs) gaining prominence. AFNs encompass decentralised and locally rooted system that seek to establish direct connections between producers and consumers, often bypassing conventional supply chains e.g. farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and food cooperatives. As consumer preferences shift towards locally sourced and sustainable food options, it is essential to assess the challenges and opportunities that arise in the context of AFNs. Through exploring AFNs and SFSCs, this project seeks to understand their potential contributions to sustainability, resilience, and community well-being. In this session Dr Anthony Ezenwa will present his BU QR-funded research that explores the nuances of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) and Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), using Dorset County, England as a comprehensive case study. Dr Ezenwa will highlight the various typologies and meanings associated with these concepts and discuss how the social and institutional perspectives surrounding the challenges and opportunities within AFNs and SFSCs practices in the region, shedding light on their intricate links.

Provisional Timetable:

4.45-5.00pm – Welcome refreshments

5.00-6.15pm – Presentation sessions

6.15-7.00pm – Discussion, networking and refreshments

This is a free event, but you must register to attend via Eventbrite: A Celebration of Sustainable Food Related Research Tickets, Wed 26 Jun 2024 at 16:45 | Eventbrite

FHSS academics’ paper cited 1,000 times

international, Publishing, Training, writing

This morning ResearchGate alerted us that our paper published two decades ago ‘The Importance of Pilot Studies’ has now been cited one thousand times [1].  This methods paper in the Nursing Standard is very often used by authors quoting a  paper in their research methods section when they have done pilot or feasibility study for a larger-scale study. This paper is also our second top cited paper with 1,982 citations on Google Scholar and, interestingly enough, on SCOPUS it is not listed at all.

Pilot studies are a crucial element of a good study design. Conducting a pilot study does not guarantee success in the main study, but it does increase the likelihood of success. Pilot studies fulfill a range of important functions and can provide valuable insights for other researchers. There is a need for more discussion among researchers of both the process and outcomes of pilot studies. 

This paper is one of several methods paper focusing on pilot studies we have published over the past 22 years [2-7].

 

Professors Vanora Hundley & Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2002) ‘The importance of pilot studies’ Nursing Standard 16(40): 33-36. Web: nursing-standard.co.uk/archives/vol16-40/pdfs/vol16w40p3336.pdf
  2. van Teijlingen E, Rennie, AM., Hundley, V, Graham, W. (2001) The importance of conducting & reporting pilot studies: example of Scottish Births Survey, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34: 289-95.
  3. Simkhada, P, Bhatta, P., van Teijlingen E (2006) Importance of piloting questionnaire on sexual health research (Letter), Wilderness & Environmental Medical Journal, 17(4): 295-96. wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?request=get-document&issn=1080-6032&volume=017&issue=04&page=0295#Ref
  4. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2001) The importance of pilot studies, Social Research Update Issue 35, (Editor N. Gilbert), Guildford: University of Surrey.  Web:  http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU35.html
  5. Hundley, V., van Teijlingen E. (2002) The role of pilot studies in midwifery research RCM Midwives Journal 5(11): 372-74.
  6. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2005) Pilot studies in family planning & reproductive health care, Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care 31(3): 219-21.
  7. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2003) Pilot study, In: Encyclopaedia of Social Science Research Methods, Vol. 2, Lewis-Beck, M., Bryman, A. & Liao, T. (eds.), Orego, Sage: 823-24.

 

Prof. John Oliver receives European media award

Prof.John Oliver was presented with the European Media Management Association’s highest award for “excellence in media management scholarship and practice” at the annual conference in The Netherlands.

The award also recognises Prof. Oliver’s contribution to the development of the association where he served on the Executive Board for many years and as the President between 2021-23.

Prof. Oliver commented that “whilst it is an honour to be presented with an individual award, it is also in recognition of the many people that have helped me develop my research and the contribution that many of the association’s members have made over the years”.

BU academic listed on Research.com

international, Publishing, writing

Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers, has just released its 2024 Edition of the Ranking of Best Scientists in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities.  BU is listed as 509th globally.Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH), is the BU social scientist listed in this year’s ranking.  The full UK ranking is available here: research.com/scientists-rankings/social-sciences-and-humanities/gb and the full world ranking is available here: research.com/scientists-rankings/social-sciences-and-humanities

 

Congratulations to Social Workers Drs. Oliver & Harvey

Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Orlanda Harvey and Dr. Louise Oliver on the publication of their latest article ‘The use of poetry in form of haikus as a tool for critical reflection’ [1].  This latest academic publication has been published in Social Work Education The International Journal.  This interesting article focuses on critical reflection is an integral part of social work education and practice, yet it is widely understood to be hard to learn, teach, and assess. The authors introduced the use of poetry in the form of haikus to three different qualifying social work student groups to trial a creative way of getting students to engage in critical reflection. Ninety-six students took part in the reflection activity and 23 of the students agreed to take part in the research element, which used a mixed-methods approach to explore the value of haikus in critical reflection. Following the thematic network analysis process, we identified one global theme: that haikus were a useful tool for developing critical reflection. There were three organizing themes identified: the need to create a safe learning environment to support engagement; that taking part provoked reactions; and the activity held important elements that aided the development of critical reflection.

 

Well done !

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Faculty of Health & Social Sciences

2023-4 New Media Writing Prize and Unconference Success

The 2023-24 New Media Writing Prize, directed by BU’s Lyle Skains and judged by BU practitioners and researchers Dalia Elsheikh, Jim Pope, and Brad Gyori has drawn to a close after a bright and exciting two days of creative “Unconferencing”, a brilliant and thought-provoking keynote on generative AI and electronic literature from Professor Anastasia Salter, and the announcement of all winners for this year’s prizes. The keynote and awards ceremony are available on YouTube for anyone who missed them.

This year the events were moved to May from January to fit better with semester timetables and activities around the Bournemouth Writing Prize. This move proved fortunate as we saw our entries nearly double this year over previous years, with 194 eligible works submitted from 45 different countries. Our judges certainly needed the extra time to review and debate the wealth of high quality submissions of interactive digital narrative and journalism.

world map showing pins in 45 different countries

Geographical origins for 194 entries to the 2023-24 New Media Writing Prize

The Awards

All works are accessible on the 2023 NMWP website.

Chris Meade Memorial Main Prize

Our judges shortlisted eight works for the main prize; Florence Walker’s I Dreamt of Something Lost topped the category:

  • WINNER – I Dreamt of Something Lost by Florence Walker
  • A Condensed History of Australian Camels by David Thomas Henry Wright, Louis Pratt, Karen Lowry, Chris Arnold
  • Congee by Rebecca Chui
  • Infinite Eddies by Siobhan O’Flynn
  • L and the Empress of Sand by Jon Stone
  • Musselled Out by Dolly Church, Elinor Kirchwey, Eamon Foreman, Niall Tessier-Lavigne
  • The Hotline by Kasey Gambling
  • Voices by Christine Wilks

Writers Online Student Prize

  • WINNER – Polterkicks by Emma Husa
  • An Undecided Fate by Drew Ott
  • I Dreamt of Something Lost by Florence Walker
  • Meow Memoir by Brynna Hosszu
  • What Remains? by Vegard Fotland
  • Words So Much Like Ivy by Chris Pang

Social Good Prize

2023-24 marks the very first year this prize has been awarded; it is supported entirely by the associated NMWP Unconference. The focus on interactive digital narrative for the purposes of social good or addressing global challenges (such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals) is drawn from Lyle Skains’ research into the creation and efficacy of interactive narrative to inspire attitude and behaviour change on topics of socio-cultural, medical, and ecological importance.

  • WINNER – Musselled Out by Dolly Church, Elinor Kirchwey, Eamon Foreman, Niall Tessier-Lavigne
  • A Condensed History of Australian Camels by David Thomas Henry Wright, Louis Pratt, Karen Lowry, Chris Arnold
  • The Hotline by Kasey Gambling
  • Tree-Person by Talita Bedinelli
  • Voices by Christine Wilks

Opening Up Prize

  • WINNER – all the borders I crossed without you by Rosalind Fielding
  • Crowbar by Dylan Spicer
  • Infinite Eddies by Siobhan O’Flynn
  • Memory Eternal (Вічная Пам’ять) (2023) by the Decameron Collective
  • The Hotline by Kasey Gambling
  • Voices by Christine Wilks

FIPP Media Journalism Prize

  • WINNER – SOS – SAVE OUR SOILS by Marius Münstermann
  • Choking Kurdistan by Tom Brown
  • Terraforming Singapore: Is the future made of sand? by Zafirah Zein
  • The illusion of prosperity by Katerina Afanasyeva

Unconference Report

Anastasia Salter’s keynote (viewable on YouTube) capped off the Unconference and transitioned us to the awards ceremony. Their insights on generative AI and how it is already influencing electronic literature (another wave of software reproducing social bias and inequality) even while offering the next step in the evolution of creative tools were both concerning and exhilarating—perhaps a perfect note to strike in an Unconference themed around inclusivity.

Our second annual Unconference unfolded over two days leading up to the NMWP Award Ceremony. 40 creatives, academics, and students attended from across the world, including the UK, USA, Canada, India, Norway, and Mexico.

As a more creatively-focused event, the Unconference focuses on workshops and performances, with relevant academic talks dispersed throughout. We learned fundamentals of programming, how to create a GitHub website, and considerations for creating interactive digital narratives with purpose (such as wellbeing).

We were also treated to electronic poetry, a preview of the very first Indian anthology of electronic literature, Instagram storytelling, and discussions of art and health.

We played together in netprov (improvisational, collaborative online storytelling), spitballed approaches to teaching electronic literature and making it more accessible, and became Wikipedia editors as we seek to grow elit’s representation on this foundational site of knowledge.

Successful Bid-generating Sandpit designed and facilitated by BU academics Catalin Brylla and Lyle Skains

image with sandpit title, facilitator names, and sponsor logos27 early career academics from ten universities came together 30 April-1 May in Bournemouth for a two-day sandpit funded by The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network and organised by Dr. Catalin Brylla (Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion, and Social Justice) and Dr. Lyle Skains (Centre for Science, Health, and Data Communication Research). The participants specialise in a variety of disciplines such as performance, media, business management, environmental sciences, anthropology, computing, architecture, law, engineering, tourism, and health studies. They brought their interests in a sustainable world and society (as represented by the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to the sandpit for networking, team-building, and funding and project development workshops, many of which were based on the successful and innovative NESTA-developed ‘Crucible’ programme (no longer online, but see the Welsh Crucible).

image of 27 people seated in two rows of chairs facing one another, talking animatedlyThe success of the sandpit’s activities is highlighted by the culmination of six projects proposed to a panel of subject experts from Bournemouth University: Prof. Amanda Korstjens (ecology), Prof. Adele Ladkin (business), Prof. Huseyin Dogan (computing), Dr. Lyle Skains (arts practice and interdisciplinarity), Dr. Catalin Brylla (media practice) and Zarak Afzal (research development). These experts provide mentorship and feedback on the projects as they develop toward funding proposals. Two sandpit follow-up sessions will also aid the participants in developing their funding proposals.

A group of people around a table, writing notes, talking animatedly to one another. Other similar tables are in the background.This is the first ‘crucible’ sandpit of its kind offered through the BA ECRN, though plans are under development for further offerings in both the Southwest and other regional hubs.

To receive news of further sandpits and development opportunities, join the BA ECRN.

SETS Research Seminar – Global Recycling Crisis – Wed 24th April

SETS research seminar: Wednesday 24th April at 3 pm on Zoom

The theme of this SETS cycle is the public problem of waste and the global sustainability crises related to the consumption and disposal of commodities.

In this seminar, Manisha Anantharaman will present her recent book Recycling Class. The Contradictions of Inclusion in Urban Sustainability (2024, MIT press).

Manisha is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Center for the Sociology of Organisations, Sciences Po Paris (France). Manisha holds a PhD from the University of California Berkeley, and her research focuses on the politics of ecological transition and sustainability. 

Zoom details to join:

https://unitn.zoom.us/j/85334570893
Meeting ID: 853 3457 0893

Passcode: SETS

SETS is a joint initiative between the Research Group on Collective Action, Change, and Transition at the University of Trento, the Centre for Sustainable and Socially Responsible Consumption at BU, and the Environmental Sociology Section at the University of Orebro. The seminars are open to a diverse audience, including academics, students, practitioners, social movements, and the non-specialist public.

Roberta Discetti, SETS co-founder