10th Anniversary Ethnography Symposium

The 10th Annual Liverpool Symposium on Current Developments in

Ethnographic Research in the Social and Management Sciences
in association with the Journal of Organizational Ethnography
Hosted at the University of Liverpool,
26th-28th August, 2015

Key theme:
Reflection in Action: Taking Stock of 10 Years of Ethnography Symposia
Call for Papers
The Annual Liverpool Symposium on Current Developments in Ethnographic Research in the Social
and Management Sciences is a leading international forum for debate and dialogue on the theory,
practice and form of ethnographic work. In 2015, we are marking the tenth symposium by returning
to Liverpool and with a theme that encourages reflection on the practices and development of
ethnographic research.
Since the mid-1980s, we have seen a move toward reflexive and emotionally engaged ethnographic
writing. Here, the complex, ambiguous and messy nature of the social world is celebrated, as
researchers reflect on their own positioning, relationships in the field and beyond, as well as on
personal biographies and preferences in an attempt to understand the impact that these have on
participants, cultures and studies. The last decade has seen an explosion of writings regarding such
notions as evidenced in the Journal of Organizational Ethnography and it is apparent that
reflection in action has become a key part of the ethnographers journey.
Because of the wide-ranging impact of this shift, we invite participants to engage with the overall
theme presenting papers that discuss contemporary reflective, reflexive and emotional issues in
order to illuminate ethnographic approaches further and to develop ethnographic practice. Given
that this event marks the 10 year anniversary of the Ethnography Symposium, we also invite papers
that take stock of the discipline and consider future prospects. Participants might thus consider:
discussing ethnographic approaches, methods, and developments in the past decade(s) as well as
future opportunities and potentialities; reflecting on the self in ethnographic research; looking at
power relations, emotional, ethical and cultural issues shaping ethnographic projects; as well as
critically debating concepts, theories and methodologies for the practicing ethnographer. Given the
10th anniversary, we aim to include a wide range of potential contributions and celebrate our sense
of community and togetherness!

Conference Chairs
Dr Matthew Brannan
m.brannan@keele.ac.uk
Dr Manuela Nocker
mnocker@essex.ac.uk
Dr Geoff Pearson
pearsong@liv.ac.uk
Dr Mike Rowe
mikerowe@liv.ac.uk
Keynote Speakers
Professor Barbara Czarniawska, Gteborg University
Dr Charles Kirke, Cranfield University
Dr Mark de Rond, University of Cambridge
Professor Helen Sampson, Cardiff University
Roundtable: Reflections on the First Ten Years!
Introduced by:
Professor John van Maanen, MIT
Professor David Weir, Edge Hill University
Submission Details
Abstracts (up to 750-words), should be submitted to ethnog@liverpool.ac.uk in PDF format, saved as
the authors surname followed by the paper title by the extended deadline due to many requests of
Tuesday 31st March 2015. The abstracts should list all authors, an email contact and institutional
affiliation details at the top of the first page. Decisions on acceptance of papers, subject to external
refereeing, will be given by email by the 15th of April, 2015.
We ask that delegates submit full papers prior to the conference no later than Friday 24th July 2015.
Delegates also have the option to include their work on the conference website:
http://www.liv.ac.uk/ethnography. However, this is not compulsory and submission should indicate
if you do not wish your paper to be included in the website.
Best Paper Award
This year the symposium will again be running a Best Paper Award co-sponsored by Emerald
Publishing, the publisher of the Journal of Organizational Ethnography with which this conference is
affiliated. This award will be made at the symposium to a paper selected from among the full papers
submitted to the conference webpage. When submitting a full paper, please indicate whether you
wish your paper to be considered for the Best Paper Award. Submission for the Best Paper Award
will be treated as consent to publish the paper in the Journal of Organizational Ethnography.
Posters
This year, we will also be awarding a Best Poster prize for a doctoral student. The prize is a waiver of
the conference fee for the 2016 Symposium, which will be held at the University of the West of
England in Bristol. We would like to encourage all doctoral students to present a poster. This might

be in addition to the submission of a paper and perhaps cover a different aspect of your research.
Should you wish to use innovative forms and technologies, please contact us. And if you intend to
present a poster, please contact us via ethnog@liverpool.ac.uk so that we can plan the space
available.
Symposium attendance fees, accommodation and registration
Attendance fee for delegates in full-time employment 325
PhD and postdoctoral research students, Emeritus Professors and/or semi-retired colleagues in parttime employment - 215
The Attendance fee includes:
All symposium proceedings, daytime refreshments and lunches, an informal dinner on Wednesday
26th August, and the Gala Dinner on Thursday 27th August. We also encourage PhD students to
attend the pre-conference PhD workshops on the morning of Wednesday 26th August and an
informal dinner gathering on Tuesday 25th August.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not included in the conference fee. Information and details of local hotels
offering special delegate rates/promotional booking reference will be emailed to delegates and
posted on the symposium website in the near future.
How to Register
Delegates wishing to register for the Symposium should register and pay online via the Ethnography
website: www.liverpool.ac.uk/ethnography. If you prefer to pay by invoice please contact
ulmsents@liv.ac.uk, providing a purchase order number from your institution's finance department
and containing: (1) your Institutions name, (2) a full postal address, (3) the amount to be charged,
and (4) any special dietary or mobility requirements. Our accounting procedures require all of this
information before we can issue an invoice.
When registering please ensure that you select the appropriate fee: standard (for those in full time
employment) or reduced (for PhD and postdoctoral research students in part-time employment, and
emeritus professors and/ or semi-retired colleagues). The deadline for registration is Monday July
27th, 2015.
Cancellation Policy
Delegates requiring a full refund should contact ulmsents@liv.ac.uk by Monday 3rd August 2015.
After this date refunds will be considered on an individual basis at the discretion of the organizing
committee.
Enquiries
Queries regarding academic issues can be made to Manuela Nocker or Mike Rowe. Queries about
non-academic matters should be directed to our conference administrators (ulmsents@liv.ac.uk).
All information will be regularly updated on www.liv.ac.uk/ethnography.
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