Storytelling turbulence: Methodological challenges of presenting contemporary complexities
A BSA Postgraduate Forum Regional Event
20 May 2026
University of Manchester, UK
About the Event
We are witnessing a decade of turbulence. Within the UK, Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis, and debates over immigration have highlighted ongoing tensions between social cohesion and political polarisation; while globally, today’s community confronts multifaceted challenges: war, nationalism, climate change, economic instability, and the erosion of democratic institutions. These external turbulences would inevitably influence academia, pushing reflections on the methodological challenges, and to reconsider how we present and analyse complex contemporary realities.
Specifically, storytelling, as a method of making sense of social realities, is central to academic inquiry. Turbulent times challenge our academic storytelling, pushing us to consider how positionality, reflexivity, and conflicting realities shape the ways we explore the social world. Academic storytelling, as a process of narrating past and present, opens pathways to the futures we imagine. At the same time, it is problematised: whose stories are we telling, and how do we tell them? What of counter-narratives? Turbulent times compel us to think beyond immediate possibilities, but also demand deliberate choices, while integrating those choices thoughtfully into our own academic storytelling.
This workshop aims to attract PGRs from sociology and across the humanities field who are interested in critically reflecting on their methodological choices when engaging with ‘external turbulence’ - controversial or conflicting social realities - as well as their own ‘internal conflicts’ as researchers’ positionalities. Presenters will examine how their positionalities and methodological approaches shape the ways we produce and present knowledge, and the narratives they construct within academic research. Creative forms of presenting are encouraged.
Registration
Registration for this event will open in due course.