Help wanted. Expatriate bloggers unite!
08.sep.2006 @ 00:53
During dark and lonely nights I may be a slave to the blogging blues. During daytime, however, I study psychology at the University of Oslo. I now face the final obstacle before joining the ranks of those educated for unemployment. The next eight months are solely dedicated to a research project of my choosing.
My main interests have for some time been in the fields of writing, storytelling, culture, identity and everything in between. So, when I had to pick a topic for my thesis, I found a way to combine them all. Thus, I plan to look into the weblogs of American expatriates and see if I can find stories of identity.
This might make me look like a sloth trying to get out of actually having to talk to people. Rest easy, that’s just a perk. I'm one of those oddballs who find the weblog medium too interesting to pass up. Also, in many instances, expatriates who blog are keen storytellers interested in reflecting on - and communicating their own development, which is exactly what I’m looking for.
I will ask questions like these: How do people present and construct identity through their blogs? How do processes of acculturation influence the narration of identity? Which stories do they tell, and how are their stories told? What do the stories signify to the storyteller? If blogging can be seen as a descendent of diary writing, what are the implications of personal journaling going public? What does the Internet bring to the mix?
Now, what do I need from you?
I greatly appreciate all kinds of advice. Really. I mean it. Anything goes.
But most urgently I’d like your help in locating expat blogs in a vast and disorganized blogosphere.
You can enter tips and links in the comment field, or send me an e-mail. Either way you shall find yourself on the receiving end of imaginary hugs and lots of love.
My main interests have for some time been in the fields of writing, storytelling, culture, identity and everything in between. So, when I had to pick a topic for my thesis, I found a way to combine them all. Thus, I plan to look into the weblogs of American expatriates and see if I can find stories of identity.
This might make me look like a sloth trying to get out of actually having to talk to people. Rest easy, that’s just a perk. I'm one of those oddballs who find the weblog medium too interesting to pass up. Also, in many instances, expatriates who blog are keen storytellers interested in reflecting on - and communicating their own development, which is exactly what I’m looking for.
I will ask questions like these: How do people present and construct identity through their blogs? How do processes of acculturation influence the narration of identity? Which stories do they tell, and how are their stories told? What do the stories signify to the storyteller? If blogging can be seen as a descendent of diary writing, what are the implications of personal journaling going public? What does the Internet bring to the mix?
Now, what do I need from you?
I greatly appreciate all kinds of advice. Really. I mean it. Anything goes.
But most urgently I’d like your help in locating expat blogs in a vast and disorganized blogosphere.
You can enter tips and links in the comment field, or send me an e-mail. Either way you shall find yourself on the receiving end of imaginary hugs and lots of love.
