Project Details

Short Description

There is rising awareness in health sciences that health promotion has to include the broader social and societal context of individuals. Since epidemiology with its traditional positivist approach does not offer satisfying methods for complex systems, new methods and approaches are urgently needed. In this cooperative project with the University of Groningen the possibilities of interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of new transdisciplinary approaches between epidemiology and human geography are explored. Field methods of cultural geography will be compiled and analysed regarding its applicability in epidemiology. In a first pilot project "Walking interviews as an innovative method in epi-demiology" new experiences in the adaptation of methods will be collected.

Walking interviews represent a useful tool to analyse complex relations between people and spaces which allow researchers to explore issues within the context they arise. Walks through the 'natural' environment provide researchers and participants stimuli for discussion points. Thus, walking interviews one the hand, touch the participants’ subjective perceptions of their socio-material environment and deepen the understanding of how socio-cultural practices develop in and shape spaces. On the other hand, they integrate emancipatory approaches that shift respondents from being research objects to being re-search participants.

Partners
dr. Bettina v. Hoven
Associate Professor
Department of Cultural Geography
Faculty of Spatial Sciences

External funding
University of Bremen, International Office
University of Groningen