DISZIPLINEN IN BEWEGUNG
Disciplines in Motion
Gesprächsreihe am Fakultätszentrum für transdisziplinäre historisch-kulturwissenschaftliche Studien
Am I Doing This Right? Research Ethics in Historical/Cultural Studies
In the winter semester 2025/2026, the conversation series “Disciplines in Motion” at the Faculty Center for Transdisciplinary Historical-Cultural Studies will focus on the topic of research ethics. We will discuss the practices and frameworks regarding research ethics in historical-cultural research and related disciplines, the issues in these approaches, and the everyday challenges we face as researchers and what we are doing to overcome them.
Each month, we invite you to join us at Kolingasse 14-16 (SR8, OG 01) for a discussion in a relaxed atmosphere over lunch, an opportunity to engage with invited experts, to meet fellow early career researchers and to establish contacts across disciplines and institutions in Vienna.
In three monthly discussions, we aim to better understand the current problems in research ethics and exchange ideas on possible solutions for some key issues and questions in our research. What do we have to keep in mind when collecting research data through interviews and observations? What ethical concerns are there for researchers and professionals dealing with material culture and human remains? What ethical concerns are there regarding publishing, archiving and re-using research data and materials? And what can we learn from experiences in other disciplines?
For organisation purposes, we kindly ask you to register by email.
Discussions this semester:
Narratives and Practice: Data Collection with Interviews
20.11.2025, 11:30-13:00
What ethical considerations do you come across doing interviews/participant observation in your research practice? What have been your biggest challenges in doing ethical research, and how have you grappled with them? What are the differences in ethics in theory versus practice, and, given your experience, what recommendations do you have for researchers looking to use similar methods?
with Anna Sourdille (Uni. Vienna), Michael Hollogschwandtner (Uni. Vienna) & Laura Burke (ÖAW-ISA)
moderation: Alisa Santikarn (GLOCO, Uni. Vienna)
Fragments of the Past: Working with Material Culture and Human Remains
18.12.2025, 11:30-13:00
How should we handle the fragments of past lives – material culture and human remains – respectfully and ethically? What best practice guidelines are currently developed by researchers and museum practitioners in the field? In this session, we will focus on the topics of repatriation of human remains from colonial contexts and dealing with material culture in sensitive contexts.
with Ruby Satele (GLOCO, Uni. Vienna), Constanze Schattke (NHM) & Brooke Penaloza-Patzak (Uni. Vienna)
moderation: Barbara Pavlek Löbl (Uni. Vienna)
The Public Good? Considerations in Archiving & Publication
15.01.2026, 11:30-13:00
In the last session of the semester, we will discuss ethical aspects of archiving of, access to, and publishing based on sources from the recent past. With our panelists Tina Plasil-Laschober and Markus Stumpf, we will address the spectrum from oral history interviews to various written sources, including the challenges, pitfalls, and opportunities of digitized material and potential online access.
with Tina Plasil-Laschober (MenschenLeben, Mediathek) & Markus Stumpf (Uni. Vienna)
moderation: Hanna Lucia Worliczek (Uni. Vienna)
Organised and coordinated by Alisa Santikarn, Barbara Pavlek Löbl, and Hanna Worliczek for the Pre- und PostDoc-Assistants of the Faculty Center for Transdisciplinary Historical Cultural Studies.