About

Call for Thematic Streams for the forthcoming Nordic Network on Disability Research Conference 7 – 9. May 2025, at the University of Helsinki, Finland

The Nordic Network of Disability Research (NNDR) will host its 17th research conference between 7th and 9th May 2025 at the University of Helsinki, Finland, in cooperation with the Finnish society of disability research and the University of Helsinki: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/nndr-2025

The first NNDR conferences gathered a small number of dedicated Nordic disability researchers. Today the conference attracts researchers from all over the world in steadily rising numbers. The success of the conference and the network reflects the ever-growing global interest in Disability Research. The growth also reflects that disability researchers are invested in an expanding range of fields and themes.

The Nordic Network of Disability Research want to bring forward our conference as a meeting place for disability researchers from all over the world, and we want to maintain a structure where we clearly can identify the common ground we all share. Given that the NNDR conferences of later years have comprised a very large number of presentations spanning over a diverse range of topics and scopes, we, nevertheless, see that there is room for development in the way we structure and organize the conference. The NNDR thus want to establish a number of thematic streams that sessions and papers can belong to at the next conference.

Thematic streams are based on the idea that large enough themes can accommodate sessions and papers that are connected to each other. We would like to promote active discussion of papers under the thematic streams and hope to keep the streams running from one conference to the next to maintain continuation and encourage ongoing interaction within the sub-communities around the thematic streams. In time, we might see the thematic streams developing into permanent sub-networks within the NNDR.

Technically, we suggest that 3-4 papers belong to one session, and the equivalent to 3 sessions or more belong to one thematic stream.

We would like to call for suggestions of possible thematic streams as well as coordinators for the thematic streams. We expect 2-4 coordinators per thematic stream. The coordinators will collaborate with the conference organisers in screening submitted abstracts to their stream and in formulating the programme of the stream in autumn 2024. The commitment is primarily for the forthcoming Helsinki Conference, but longer commitment for the next conference(s) is more than welcome.

How narrowly or widely defined a thematic stream should be, is not something the NNDR have a preconceived notion about, but in the discussions leading up to this call, suggestions such as Deaf Studies, Gender & sexuality, Disability history, and Intersectionality have been suggested as examples. The decision which thematic streams will be included will, however, be decided only after a review of the responses to this call. The Finnish Society of Disability Research and the NNDR board will review the applications. Accepted streams will be listed in the abstract submission system so that conference participants can suggest their abstracts directly to the stream of their choice.

Please submit suggestions of

  1. possible thematic streams
  2. 2-4 coordinators and their contacts, as well as
  3. short description of the thematic stream (max 300 words)

to nndr@helsinki.fi by 30th April 2024. For any question, please send them to the President of the NNDR, Professor Patrick Kermit: patrick.kermit@ntnu.no

About NNDR

NNDR is a multidisciplinary network of disability researchers interested in cultural, societal and environmental dimensions of disability and marginalization. The purpose of NNDR is to advance research and development in the field of disability. NNDR provides a forum for researchers, particularly from the Nordic countries, to meet, present and discuss their research, as well as encouraging Nordic and international exchange and collaboration.

NNDR was established in Fredrikshavn, Denmark in 1997. In just a few years it has grown into a large network of disability researchers, reflecting the growing interest in and importance of disability research in the Nordic countries.

The main meeting place for the network is the biannual NNDR conferences. The purpose of the conferences is for researchers in particular from the Nordic countries to present and discuss their results from social research on disability, as well to promote contacts for Nordic and international collaboration. Those who work with development and policy for disabled people in various professions, organisations or bureaucracy are also warmly welcome. The second main activity for NNDR is to run the scientific journal Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research.

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