The early academic catches the conference…

Two days ago, we had our annual PhD conference in the department. After a little reluctance of people to present and the usual proposed streams I was fed up and I volunteered to organise the paper sessions, along with the professor. Long story short, we had 16 very interesting paper session and 2 equally interesting, and challenging, plenary sessions. The topics went from Philosophy to the financial crisis, from Britain to Sri Lanka, from chocolate to quantitative facts… The discussions were good and pushed a few papers beyond the first line. The whole day was partially sunny outside so that the final session, “Sociologists in the “Public Field”” could take place, meaning we had a splendid BBQ at the lake. Calming down, discussing the day, and plain socialising. Overall, I’m in debt to the presenters and all people who came! (even tho, I bribed some of them with cakes and harassed them on end…)

Front Page Conference Flyer

The motto of the conference was “How is society possible?” Asked by Simmel in 1908 and attempted to answer. One said to me that I have to start my opening speech for the conference with a joke as Americans do and I try to do it here now (the opening was ultimately done by the Co-Organiser). So here are my two cents of sociological wisdom:

"What happens if two sociologists discuss something? You end up with 4 different opinions (at least). While this might be annoying for non-sociologists it leads me to three aspects for today’s conference: on one side, we as sociologists, try to capture the world (whatever it actually is) by taking different perspectives. We take it not as black and white because it mostly isn’t black and white. Even if looking at the same thing there are always more questions than answers.
On the other side, as Simmel argues in his paper society and individuals are interdependent. The one can’t be understood without the other and only together both are possible. That is, why there is always (at least) 2 perspectives per sociologist. As Simmel writes the thing we understand as “real” is fragment of the real we are trying to understand. We can only get a small glimpse of the thing we are looking at. But we know about this insufficiency and impossibility of grasping the “natural” state of things. Thus, we always add something to what we are seeing. We are presented with something and we are seeing it. We think what we are meant to see and think what we should or ought to see. Both together may be similar but often vary and produce two perspectives for both society and individuals.
But above both sides, the question “How is … possible?” connotes simultaneously a fact and a contingency. Society is something which vanishes in the instant it emerges. It exists but is also constructed. So, the answer can only be a question and contingency. We as sociologists shape and are shaped by society. So are individuals. It is, after all, a very nice dilemma. And now lets go to the bbq and see how many opinions we manage to find…"

Puh, fortunately I spared the full thing and only did a brief recall of the day at the end of the conference. And then basically just said to stop thinking, no sociology anymore please, get back to the content of society, and come to the BBQ.

(oh, and the joke worked in the closing speech)

Finally happy???

Turn the page pt. 2...

Oh, and fortunately: I still haven't finished with my German degree and I can become a proper taxi-driver... :-D That's my consolation!

Turn the page...

...and close a chapter. I read a book last week by Coelho and there were quite a few lines dealing with freedom in it. One was: when you choose something and fail the scar from it hurts but if you are free to choose that something and fail the scar has a sweet taste and hurts less. Meaning, despite the tears and injury you enjoyed your freedom; obviously it's only in reference to oneself and doesnt mean to hurt someone else. anyho. It was something along those lines. And, as said in the foregoing post, I now had to de-register from my German university because they deemed me a career student and I would have had to start paying a few hundred euro tuition fees from next academic year onwards (mind you, there are usually hardly tuition fees at all). And it makes me a bit sentimental. I spent 3 1/2 years there, studying very interesting subjects, met people, went partying, had student jobs, and started to become a grown up (not very successful tho...). There are certainly some memories there; the only thing I didn't get was a degree because I still had half a year left and the examinations to do. But then I chose to go to England and stayed there (and spent more time doing the degree actually here than back there). I remained registered with the German university and even went back for a term because of the little thing examination left and just in case, somebody found out I had no first degree and throw me out here... Hm. neither happened so far, and won't hopefully in the future.

To cut a very long story short, when I started I always looked at those career student with a certain degree of distrust and now I'm one myself officially. It makes me sad to know that I have defo to leave the uni and will never be able to go back so easily. But then, I chose to go away and I'm happy here. And the scar of having to turn the page and close a chapter tastes sweet. MLU rulez...


(just bubbling away today as there wasnt a post for a few days and get some pressure of the (writing) system)

Hitchcock-esque Moment

I was recently back in Germany and thought I would have a kebab... And as I now got the notification from my old uni that I either have to pay higher tutition fees or to ex-matriculate myself I opted for the later and decided to have a last dinner on the main uni square. So, there I am sitting on the square with my kebab and watching the last sunshine of the day. Suddenly, a bird landed next to me and started to pick up the crumbs. I looked at him and he looked at me. He looked innocent and cute and I was thinking that he has a relaxed life and how much he must have got used to humans; he wasn't scared or else. Well, at one point I looked away and when I turned back to my kebab I only felt his wings in my face. That bloody bird was eating my kebab... And I couldnt do anything... Still in shock, I looked at him and his face was resembling a big broad smile, as if he was trying to say to me "you might be taller than me but I got your kebab, you ..." Hm. Alfred Hitchcock at his best...

Oh, and I throw the kebab away...

Just in between exam marking... watch here a schnaps would be nice, just ease the pain of reading stats over and over again...