Insight sessions by Sinan Çankaya and Deike Schulz

What confined views have to with power, apparent neutrality and exclusion - Sinan Çankaya

At NWO SHIFT, anthropologist and writer Sinan Çankaya will speak about how our attention is shaped by the stories and histories we tell, and the lives we bury deep within.

Drawing on his work on the culture of memory, institutional racism and resistance, Çankaya examines the power of knowledge production. Even academics only reveal parts of reality. The questions we ask help determine what becomes visible and what remains hidden. One perspective is regarded as neutral and authoritative, whilst another is dismissed as biased and emotional. Çankaya argues that we should acknowledge our positionality: the place where we stand, the path we have taken, and how this determines what we see and what escapes our notice.

He concludes with his ‘micro-revolutions’: small acts of resistance against these taken-for-granted assumptions. How can we broaden our perspective, so that we not only see things differently, but above all act differently? 

May I have your (responsible) attention, please! – Deike Schulz

Twenty-five years ago, in the song ‘The Real Slim Shady’, Eminem asked: “May I have your attention, please?” A pertinent question when we look at our current information society. What or who is still genuine? And how can people participate in that society in a way that is both smart and responsible?

In this lecture, Professor Deike Schulz explores the connection between those seeking attention and those giving it. Drawing on recent research from the ‘Organisations and Social Media’ lectorate, Schulz examines the role of influencers in the information society. The focus here is not so much on clickbait or the negative excesses of the influencer economy, but on the development of a quiet force: the ability to reflect critically and act responsibly on the basis of an open (offline) dialogue.

As well as influencers, we also look at the role of learning communities in relation to disinformation. How can they contribute to a critical and informed attitude towards information flows, including those from influencers?

Two completely different topics? Nothing could be further from the truth. Both themes share significant common ground – or rather: hotspots. Influencers can learn from researchers, students and one another, and vice versa. So: “Guess there’s a Slim Shady in all of us. #$% it – Let’s all stand up.”