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1. "Belarus group"
Empirical point of departure:
A Danish Baptist congregation in Tårnby does work on emergency aid deliveries
to the city of Rubel in Southern Belarus, in order to help children that have
been affected by the Chernobyl incident.
Theoretical orientation:
Risk society (Ulrich Beck). "Modern" risk perception in what is
perhaps (in some sense) a "non-modern" society.
2. "Conspiracy group"
Empirical point of departure:
Four different social groups in Moscow (which groups?). The four members of the
group will each do fieldwork in one of the social groups, and the finished
thesis will be based on a comparison.
Theoretical orientation:
Conspiracy theories will be used in order to uncover local ideas about power. It
will also be possible to tie conspiracy theories to a wider theoretical
framework concerned with "power as magic".
3. "Kalmykia group"
Empirical point of departure:
A Buddhist-Nationalist youth movement... (where?)
Theoretical orientation:
The role of religion in creating national identity.
4. "Belgrade group"
Empirical point of departure:
The Serbian opposition's self-expression through the media (TV, Internet,
newspapers, radio. Particpant observation among media workers and among
"common people" (to catch their reactions to media expressions).
Problem formulation:
How is it possible to maintain one's Serbian identity, while at the same time
distancing oneself from Milosevic's version of Serbian national identity - and
without allying oneself with the West?
5. "The Czech group"
Empirical point of departure:
Young school pupils (15-18 years) from both rural and urban areas (where?).
Theoretical orientation:
Negotiation and manifestation of Czech identity / national identity. We will
focus on young people, since we assume that it is particularly in this age group
that people begin to attend to and reflect on the established norms and value
systems and their own identity in relation to their surroundings.
6. "Czech students in Prague"
Empirical point of departure:
The relationship between Czech and international students at a school of
photography in Prague.
Theoretical orientation:
How do the Czech students identify themselves collectively in relationship to
the international students.
Problem formulation:
What is the relationship between the Czech state's wish to integrate in the EU,
and the concepts of local people?
7. "Danish business in Poland"
Empirical point of departure:
Central / Northern Poland. In the city of Bydgoszcz a group of businesses from
Southern Jutland have established "The Danish House", as a
center of business cooperation between Danes and Poles.
Problem formulation: "What
is the best way to start business in Poland for a (hypothetical) Danish
firm?"
8. "Lituanian
understandings of democracy"
Empirical point of
departure:
Lituanian students at a "Folk highschool" in Denmark and their
contacts with a Lituanian NGO. In these contexts we will explore
Lituanian ideas about "the West" and "democracy".
Theoretical orientation:
Theories of civil society. Ideas of narrative resistance (Nancy Riess).
9. "Cultural
resistance in Russia"
Empirical point of
departure:
A subculture of artists in St. Petersburg working with visual media
(film, theater).
Problem formulation:
How has Russian / Soviet culture and concepts of society changed since
perestroika? Do people seek to return to Soviet values? Does there exist
systematic resistance to the present-day regime and the ongoing changes?
How is such resistance expressed?
10. "Russian civil society
group"
Empirical point of
departure:
Three separate fieldwork projects will be carried out: one in an urban
context, one in a rural context and one among "nouveaux
riches" (the last group may give access to "creative / illegal
groups").
Theoretical orientation /
Problem formulation:
The development of post-communist society in Russia. Focus on power,
resistance and the negotiation of identity in everyday life.
Legitimation of power in the power vacuum that has arisen after the fall
of communism. Are illegal economic activities part of the emerging civil
society? If so, what consequences does it have?
11. "Baltic
student group"
Empirical point of
departure:
Four separate fieldwork projects which will explore Baltic student
organizations, the relationship between these organizations and
international organizations, and attitudes among Baltic students
themselves.
Theoretical orientation:
The formation of new group identities (the role of organizations). The
relationship between these group identities and individual identity
projects. Gramsci (hegemony), Bourdieu (field/system), Flyvberg (power
and rationality), Foucault (?), B. Anderson (imagined community).
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