Please note that alongside general interest for the network there are also some streams here also for studying digital nonreligion.
http://www.derby.ac.uk/digital-methodologies-in-the-sociology-of-religion
16th November 2012, Enterprise Centre, University of Derby
Organised by the Centre for Society, Religion & Belief (SRB), University of Derby
Funded by Digital Social Research (DSR)
This conference is generously subsidised by Digital Social Research. There is a small registration fee of £30 (+ £6 VAT)
Within an era of a growing reliance on digital technologies to instantly and effectively express our values, allegiances, and multi-faceted identities, the interest in digital research methodologies among Sociologists of Religion comes as no surprise (e.g. Bunt 2009; Cantoni and Zyga 2007; Contractor 2012 and Ostrowski 2006; Taylor 2003). However the methodological challenges associated with such research have been given significantly less attention. What are the epistemological underpinnings and rationale for the use ‘digital’ methodologies? What ethical dilemmas do sociologists face, including while protecting participants’ interests in digital contexts that are often perceived as anonymised and therefore ‘safe’? Implementing such ‘digital’ research also leads to practical challenges such as mismatched expectations of IT skills, limited access to specialized tools, project management and remote management of research processes. Hosted by the Centre for Society, Religion, and Belief at the University of Derby and funded by Digital Social Research, this conference brings together scholars to critically evaluate the uses, impacts, challenges and future of Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion.
Please forward this to your invitation to your professional networks and to your students. A few travel bursaries are available for post-graduate students in the UK. Please write to either Sariya Contractor (s.contractor@derby.ac.uk) or Suha Shakkour (s.shakkour@derby.ac.uk) for further details.
Plenary Speakers:
Prof. Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research
Dr. Eric Atwell, Leeds University Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Understanding of Islam
Draft Programme
09:45 – 10:15 Registration & Refreshments
10:15 – 10:40 Welcome, Introduction and Housekeeping
Dr. Sariya Contractor & Dr. Suha Shakkour
Prof. Paul Weller, Head of Research and Commercial Development, EHS
Dr. Kristin Aune, Director, Centre for Society, Religion & Belief
10:40 – 11:25 Plenary: Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research
Prof. Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University
11:25 – 12:40 Social Networking Sites
Anti-Social networking: Facebook as a site and method for researching anti-Muslim and anti-Islam opposition
Dr. Chris Allen, University of Birmingham
Role of Digital Communication Technology in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Lead Revolution in Egypt
Dr. Abul Hassan & Prof. Toseef Azid, Markfield Institute of Higher Education
Ethical Challenges of researching Muslim women’s closed religious newsgroups
Dr. Anna Piela, Independent Researcher
12:40 – 13:40 Lunch
13:40 – 14:55 Digital Resources and Tools
Surveying the Religious and the Non-Religious
Dr. Tristram Hooley & Prof. Paul Weller, University of Derby
Research Approaches to the Digital Bible
Dr. Tim Hutchings, Durham University
Employing Distance Learning to Improve the Quantity and Quality of Islamic Studies
Dr Muhammad Mesbahi, Islamic College & Morteza Rezaei-Zadeh, University of Limerick
14:55 – 15:40 Plenary: Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Understanding of Islam
Eric Atwell, Leeds University
15:40 – 15:55 Refreshments
15:55 – 17:10 Communication
Prospects and Limits for Mxit and Mobi Methodologies for Religion in Sub-Saharan Africa
Dr. Federico Settler, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Researching Religious Discourses Online: Some thoughts on method
Thomas Alberts, SOAS
The Online Communication Model: A theoretical Framework to Analyse the Institutional Communication on the Internet
Juan Narbona & Dr. Daniel Arasa, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
17:10 – 17:30 Concluding Comments, Publication Plans
Dr Sariya Contractor & Dr. Suha Shakkour
Centre for Society, Religion & Belief
University of Derby
NSRN Online 