"Communication in Networks - Networks of Communication. Thematic, methodological and theoretical Perspectives of Historical Network Analysis between History and Communication Studies"

• 20.04.2018 – 21.04.2018
• 28359 Bremen • Linzer Straße 4 • Room Zentrum für Medien-, Kommunikations- und Informationsforschung (ZeMKI)

April 20 and 21, 2018, ZeMKI, Bremen

Workshop conference, organized by the research network “Historical Network Research” and the Center for Media, Communication and Information Research ZeMKI at the University of Bremen

12th HNR Workshop “Communication in Networks – Networks of Communication. Thematic, methodological and theoretical perspectives of historical network analysis between history and communication studies”

Date: April 20 and 21, 2018

Location: Center for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), Linzer Straße 4, 28359 Bremen

Organization & Contact: Dr. Erik Koenen (ekoenen@uni-bremen.de) and Matthias Bixler (m.bixler@ikmz.uzh.ch)

Topic and content of the conference

Social networks and communication are inextricably linked. Networks are created through communication and in turn structure communication. The formation and maintenance of social relationships is inconceivable without the communicative exchange between actors. Communication is the prerequisite for information to spread along relationships in a network or for resources to be activated via relationships. And the breakdown of relationships can also be attributed to communication – for example, if they are conflictual or fail to develop at all.

In this context, relational sociology emphasizes that both the relationships and the identities of the actors in social structures are communicatively constructed. However, it is much more common to find traces of such processes in historical sources in the form of communication and interaction than indications of concrete relationships themselves. These are most evident in the case of letter networks and other surviving correspondence. However, narrative sources also often contain a large number of interactions that are suitable for both qualitative and quantitative historical network analyses.

It is therefore all the more surprising that network approaches have hardly played a role in research on the history of communication. The conference therefore aims to strengthen the network perspective on historical communication processes and to focus on the communicative and media dimension of historical networks by examining the forms, contexts and processes of mediating social relationships and networking social structures through communication and media. The topics of the conference presentations, which have been solicited via a call for papers and peer-reviewed, are:

• Methodological approaches and challenges in collecting and analyzing historical networks
• interpersonal communication networks and interaction networks
• communicative construction of identities, social relationships and/or social networks
• the role of communication in the stability, change or erosion of historical networks
• Communication and access to or the activation of social capital
• Connections between communication and other types of relationships

The results of the conference will also be published in a special section of the Journal for Historical Network Research. After the workshop, three promising papers will be invited to submit a contribution.

Prior to the regular conference sessions, two methodological workshops on historical network research will be held:

1. introduction to visualization and analysis of network data for historians (Matthias Bixler & Martin Stark).
2. introduction to Nodegoat (https://www.nodegoat.net)

Each workshop is limited to 20 participants.

Registration & costs

Participation in the method workshops and the lecture sessions is free of charge. The costs for travel, accommodation and meals are to be borne by each participant. Unfortunately, we are also unable to reimburse the speakers’ travel expenses.
Participation in the lecture sessions is also possible without giving your own lecture after registration (by email to ekoenen@uni-bremen.de). Interested parties should register early, as capacities are limited. The order of registration applies.

We are delighted about the great interest in the methods workshops and the large number of proposals for presentations we have received. As soon as the final program is available, it can be downloaded here.

Further information can be found here. The program can be downloaded here.