Call for workshops is now open: Empowering Ethnological Research – Exploring Cultural Phenomena and Experiential Knowledge
Etnologian päivien työryhmäkutsu on auki: Vaikuttava etnologinen tutkimus – kulttuuriset ilmiöt ja kokemuksellinen tieto
Call for workshops är nu öppen: Verkningsfull etnologi – kulturella fenomen och erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap
The XIII Ethnology Days, Turku, March 11.–12, 2027
Research impact has also become an important dimension in the humanities, and research plans are often evaluated on this basis when applying for funding. However, impact can be understood in many different ways, and its assessment is often challenging unless it can be directly measured, as is rarely the case in qualitative research. Nevertheless, research in the humanities and social sciences—particularly the methods used within these fields—is empowering and influential in many ways, often emphasizing interaction between researchers and participants. For example, participatory methods, which aim to enable an active role for participants in research, are widely used across disciplines.
At the XIII Ethnology Days, we reflect on the impact of ethnological research from various perspectives. Impact can be understood as the broader benefit of research to society, as immediate effects on participants, and as collaboration between different actors. We ask why a cultural perspective is important and what experiential knowledge produced by ethnological research actually is. How do we engage in collaboration with research participants and societal partners, and how can ethnological research empower people?
We invite proposals for workshops for the XIII Ethnology Days. We encourage the workshops to ponder upon the effects of ethnological research and knowledge, and the benefits it produces. For example, participants may consider how research impact can be assessed when studying the experiences of individuals and local communities; how experiential knowledge can influence the surrounding world; and how it can be utilized at different levels of society. How is experiential knowledge shared via digital technologies and platforms, and how can researchers enhance digital participation? We also welcome workshops discussing the role of museums and other cultural organizations in conducting research and contemporary documentation as well as distributing knowledge.