SA Stories – or what I am doing post submission and pre-viva
There has been little recently blogging for several reasons. Firstly, I have been locked out of my blog. Boo. Fortunately, all weird ’server errors’ and so called ‘hiccups’ have been resolved with no loss of data. Secondly, I have been working as an ethnographer with Dr Genevieve Bell, who has been appointed South Australia’s current Thinker in Residence.
Mike Rann, the Premier of South Australia, invites two or three world-class thinkers to Adelaide each year to live and work. An invitation to appointment as an Adelaide Thinker in Residence is a prestigious award which recognises both exceptional talent and outstanding leadership. The Thinkers undertake residencies of 2 – 6 months, in which they assist South Australia to build on its climate of creativity, innovation and excellence. The Thinkers provide the State with strategies for future development in the arts and sciences, social policy, environmental sustainability and economic development. Genevieve will focus on the ways in which South Australians are using new technologies in their everyday lives. Through extensive research she will help to shed light on new opportunities for broadband and associated communication technologies in South Australia and beyond.
For two months we are conducting fieldwork across the state of South Australia. We are exploring how South Australian’s connect and to do this we are utilising a number of methods. A website SA Stories is designed to gather people’s stories online and thousands of postage paid postcards are being distributed. We are also traveling around the state working with regional and remote communities, Aboriginal people and people of culturally diverse backgrounds.
Further to this being a very interesting extension of my doctoral research (community technology practices), I am also getting the opportunity to see much of the inner parts of this country that I have never before glimpsed. Perfect post-submission pre-viva activity!
