”Institutional Ethnography as a Sociology for People. The work and legacy of Dorothy Smith” is a hybrid conference organized within the research project WHoSGreen, ‘Without God, with responsibility. A Research Study on the secular Humanist movement’s pro-environment activism and how its members socialize the next generation to green responsibilities’, that utilizes the sociological critical approach of Institutional Ethnography to explore Humanists’ pro-environmental activism.

The event is organized in collaboration with the European network, the UK and Ireland network, and the Nordic regions network of Institutional Ethnography.

This two-day conference explores the contribution and legacy of Dorothy Smith who established Institutional Ethnography as a critical sociological – both theoretical and methodological – approach that includes the everyday experience of people. To develop Institutional Ethnography approach, Dorothy Smith started with feminist standpoint theory, and then included elements from ethnomethodology and Marx’s materialist method. Some reformulations have been added to the approach lately. Now, IE is considered a theoretical and empirical investigation of the linkages among local settings of everyday life, organizations, and translocal (meso/macro) processes of administration and governance. This approach has a great potential to bring people’s perspective on these processes to the attention of policymakers and decisionmakers.

This event has invited distinguished scholars in the field of Institutional Ethnography to discuss the work and legacy of Dorothy Smith for research in different countries and social systems.

It includes an experiential workshop conducted by Órla M. Murray on how to turn old proposals and projects into an Institutional Ethnography.

Dates: Thursday 18 April and Friday 19 April 2024

Venue: The conference will be conducted in a hybrid format.

In person participation: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Babeş-Bolyai University, Strada Dostoievski 34, Cluj-Napoca, Romania [rooms 7 and 8]

Online participation: The link will be provided by email to participants registered on Eventbrite.

Registration: from February 22nd to April 18th. The registration is free of charge.

Online Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/847311269817?aff=oddtdtcreator

In-Person Registration: https://www.eventbrite.be/e/institutional-ethnography-as-a-sociology-for-people-in-person-tickets-848196056237?aff=oddtdtcreator

Experiential Workshop Registration (Workshop with Órla M. Murray): https://www.eventbrite.it/e/851432546667?aff=oddtdtcreator

Registration Fees: No registration fees, the event will be free

Organizing Institution: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Scientific and Organizing Coordinator: Dr. Morena Tartari, email: morena.tartari@ubbcluj.ro

Conference Scientific Committee: Chiara Bertone, Calin Goina, Grainne Kearney, Rebecca Lund, May-Linda Magnussen, Órla M. Murray, Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen, Morena Tartari

Contact: Dr. Morena Tartari, email: morena.tartari@ubbcluj.ro

First day: Thursday 18 April

9.30 Registration

10.00-10.15 Welcome [hybrid]

Faculty’s Dean

Lecturer, PhD Ionuţ Földes, Head of Department of Sociology 

10.15-10.30 Introduction [hybrid]

Dr. Morena Tartari, Principal Investigator, Researcher, Babeş-Bolyai University

The work and legacy of Dorothy Smith

10.30-11.15 First talk [hybrid]

Prof. Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen, University of Agder, Norway

An introduction to Institutional Ethnography

11.15-11.30: Q&A

Coffee Break: 11.30-11.45

11.45-12.30 Second talk [hybrid]

Dr. Órla M. Murray, Durham University, United Kingdom

Standpoint theory and Institutional Ethnography

12.30-12.45: Q&A

Lunch: 13.00-14.30

14.30-15.15 Third talk [hybrid]

Prof. May-Linda Magnussen, University of Agder, Norway

The concept of “work” in Institutional Ethnography: practical examples

11.15-15.30: Q&A

Break 15.30-15.45

15.45-16.30 Fourth talk [hybrid]

Dr. Dr Grainne Kearney, Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland

Institutional ethnography in medicine and medical education

16.30-16.45: Q&A

16.45-17.30

Final remarks for the day 1 [hybrid]

— .. —

Second day: Friday 19 April 2024

09.30-10.15 First talk [hybrid]

Prof. Rebecca Lund, University of Oslo, Norway

The future of IE and the legacy of Dorothy Smith

10.15-10.30: Q&A

Coffee Break: 10.30-10.45

10.45-11.30 Second talk [hybrid]

Prof. Chiara Bertone, University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy

Re-envisioning family practices through Institutional Ethnography

11.30-11.45: Q&A

Break: 11.45-12.00

12.00-13.00 Session 1 [hybrid]

Chair: Morena Tartari

Presenter: Kjeld Høgsbro, Aalborg University.

Presentation title: IE and the theory question

Presenter: Karianne Nyheim Stray, University of South-Eastern Norway, Norway

Presentation title: The disjuncture between migrants’ experiences and the institutional view of time in work inclusion processes (Authors: Stray, K. N., Thomassen, O.J., Seierstad, C., Løyning, T. & Arntzen, A.)

Presenter: Marina Villiamsson, School of Public Administration, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Presentation title: Post-Separation Violence in Sweden: A study about abused women’s way through administrative and judicial processes.

Presenter: Eila Isotalus, University of Eastern Finland

Presentation title: Drafting the concept of political-practical alignment inspired by Smith’s legacy

Lunch: 13.00-14.30

14.30-15.30 Session 2 [hybrid]

Chair: Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen

Presenter: Eman Ali

Presentation title: Institutional Ethnography (IE) in health research: Medicine Optimisation and Cross-Organisation Collaboration (Authors, Eman Ali, Justine Tomlinson, Toby Capstick, Beth Fylan)

Presenter: Marshall Gerbrandt, University of New Brunswick

Presentation title: Understanding Canadian military socialization through IE: Positioning informal learning as ruling relations

Presenters: Frank Ridzi, Le Moyne College USA, and Central New York Community Foundation, USA.

Presentation title: A philanthropy for people

14.30-16.30 EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOP:

How to turn old proposals and projects into an Institutional Ethnography

with Dr. Órla M. Murray, Durham University, United Kingdom

This workshop will take place only in presence and will be limited to 15 participants.

Registration on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.it/e/851432546667?aff=oddtdtcreator

16.45-17.30 Final remarks for day 2

Second day: Friday 19 April 2024

14.30-16.30 EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOP:

How to turn old proposals and projects into an Institutional Ethnography

with Dr. Órla M. Murray, Durham University, United Kingdom

This workshop will take place only in presence and will be limited to 15 participants.

Registration on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.it/e/851432546667?aff=oddtdtcreator

”Institutional Ethnography as a Sociology for People. A conference on the work and legacy of Dorothy Smith”

The conference is hybrid and hosted by the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Conference Dates: Thursday 18 April and Friday 19 April 2024

Panel sessions for presenters who submit an abstract will take place on Friday 19 April 2024

Abstract submission deadline: March 28th , 2024

Notification of decision on abstracts: April 1st, 2024

We are excited to announce this upcoming conference on the work and legacy of Dorothy Smith.

This conference will provide an opportunity for scholars who are both familiar and not familiar with the approach of Dorothy Smith’s Institutional Ethnography to share expert knowledge, research results, ongoing projects and hone their skills as Institutional Ethnographers.

This conference brings together the experience of senior and junior Institutional Ethnographers and aims to celebrate the work of Dorothy Smith and the potential of Institutional Ethnography still not well known or underestimated in several European countries.

Keynote presentations

Prof. Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen, University of Agder, Norway

Dr. Órla M. Murray, Durham University, United Kingdom

Prof. May-Linda Magnussen, University of Agder, Norway

Dr. Dr Grainne Kearney, Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland

Prof. Rebecca Lund, University of Oslo, Norway

Prof. Chiara Bertone, University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy

The keynote presentations will be followed by sessions with short presentations on day 2 (April 19th).

We invite abstract submissions for 10-minute presentations.

Presentations should aim to transmit to the audience the importance of IE in your research study, to discuss the innovative approach of IE to explore different social problems, to celebrate the importance

of the work and legacy of Dorothy Smith in academic and non-academic contexts, to point out theoretical and methodological aspects concerning IE that need further investigation.

For abstract submissions up to 250 words and any enquiries, please email to Morena, morena.tartari@ubbcluj.ro by Thursday 28th March, 2024.

Abstracts should include the title, author(s) and their affiliation(s).

Presentations could take place online or in presence in Cluj-Napoca as the conference adopts an hybrid format.

We look forward to reading your abstracts and meeting you (virtually or in person) at the conference.

Babysitting service: A babysitting service is available on site. Participants should write to morena.tartari@ubbcluj.ro by indicating in the email subject [IE Conference – Babysitting service] and in the text of the email please indicate the age of your child/children and time/days you need the service.

Sponsors: This event is funded by the „PNRR: Fonduri pentru România modernă și reformată!”, Romanian Ministry of for Innovation and Digitalization, Romanian Government, European Union through the WHoSGreen Project. Furthermore, it is sponsored and hosted by the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Babeş-Bolyai University.