A Day in Life – a collective research experiment

Trine Østergaard Wulf-Andersen*, Reidun Follesø, Lene Larsen, Helle Schellerup Nielsen, Catrine Halås, Kevin Holger Mogensen, David Thore Gravesen, Terje Olsen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference abstract for conferenceResearchpeer-review

Abstract

A Day In Life is a collective methodological experiment in the Nordic Research Network: Young People, Belonging and Exclusion. Since 2013, the research net-
work has brought together Nordic youth researchers in creative workshops and has published two scientific anthologies (Wulf-Andersen, Follesø & Olsen 2016;
2021). The experiment builds on these works, with the ambition of reopening questions and insights about young people’s lives, belonging and exclusion.
In 2022, 13 researchers followed 13 young persons (16-20 years) one day somewhere in the Nordic countries. The framework for the experiment was formulated in a common set of dogmas with the ambition of exploring
the potentials of one day of collaborative fieldwork and dialogue with one young person, and the potentials of/methods for collective analysis and synthesis. What
can be learned about current youth research, if we use this collective experiment to shed light on research practices, which are often individual(ized)?

We present methodological reflections from the experiment: What happens, when each researcher, in negotiation with a specific young person in a local context, plans the day and operationalizes the dogmas? What happens when we zoom in on and immerse ourselves in activities, movements, and spaces of one day, rather than focusing research by way of well-defined research questions or by stretching fieldwork over long-term periods?

The non-traditional approach raises critical questions about research methodology, ethics and conditions, which can contribute to the development of a
collaborative, just and fair youth research.
Translated title of the contributionEn dag i livet - et kollektivt forskningseksperiment
Original languageEnglish
Publication date12 Jun 2024
Publication statusPublished - 12 Jun 2024
Event16th Nordic Youth Research Symposium: Youth in a Just and Fair World - Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Duration: 12 Jun 202414 Jun 2024
Conference number: 16
https://www.nyris2024.fi/

Symposium

Symposium16th Nordic Youth Research Symposium
Number16
LocationTampere University
Country/TerritoryFinland
CityTampere
Period12/06/202414/06/2024
OtherYoung people around the globe are growing up amidst a plethora of socio-ecological crises. Their lives and futures are marked by climate change, wars, security concerns, social unrest and pandemics. This situation worries many young people. At the same time they are left with a feeling that their worries are ignored or that they are not heard equally to older generations. From the perspective of young people’s experiences, it is imperative to ask how the older generations can ensure that the world will be safe for both the contemporary young people and future generations. The questions of a just and fair world are not only matters of political decision-making and participation but concern young people’s daily lives, social relations, transitions to adulthood, youth cultures and spaces, institutions governing young lives and intergenerational interaction in general.<br/><br/>The keynote speakers of the conference are Prof. Aoife Daly / University College Cork, Prof. Lucas Gottzén / Stockholm University, Prof. Linda Herrera / University of Illinois, Ms. M., a young Afghan woman, Grant-funded researcher Tuuli Kurki / University of Helsinki, and Prof. Rachel Thomson / University of Sussex.
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