P-47

Diversity and identity have become prominent topics in the health & wellbeing domain. However, many studies on diversity and identity do not create sufficient space for those issues itself, because of the use of essentialistic concepts and methodologies. For example, questions about 'integration' are only asked to ‘the sick', 'the unemployed' or ‘allochtonen’. Moreover, people are asked how to create autonomy and responsibility with regard to modern technologies, without considering the new character of human-technology configurations first. These kind of research ignores the dynamic and non-essentialist character of identity, which leads to a simplification of the complex reality. Moreover, it ensures that we are stuck in old concepts that make it more difficult to reinvent ourselves in relation to a changing (technological) society.

In our presentation we would like to elaborate on how to create more space for diversity and identity through the use of research concepts and methodology.

Bart does this by examining how in modern human-technological configurations the relationship to our world and to ourselves is technologically mediated. The modern concepts of autonomy, responsibility and human agency prove inadequate. Contemporary technology has its own agency and mediates what it means to be human in new distinctive ways. Identity and diversity issues have to be defined with regard to these new technological mediations.

Safoura will elaborate on how she has tried to give space for diversity in her PhD research into the life trajectories of unaccompanied refugee minors. Many studies regarding this group tend to reproduce common institutional perspectives on these young people’s lives, e.g. by focusing on their “vulnerability”. By looking at long term processes, using biographical interviews and by focusing on their own perspectives, Safoura has found some new insights which otherwise would have remained unnoticed.