Objetivo
The project aims at analysing the ways in which Kinshasa's old aged make meaning of the diverse ICTs on offer in their city. Via ethnographical research, we want to understand (a) the perceptions of Kinshasa's elders on mobile telephones, television, radio and internet, (b) their uses of these ICTs, (c) the ways in which these ICTs impact on the elders' social relations, and (d) the role of these ICTs in the elders' religious lives. The intersection of ICTs and senectitude opens up a fascinating field that has not yet been addressed in an African context. The topic is until now even hardly studied in the West. The findings of the project will be of interest to anyone working on one or more of the following fields: urban studies, communication studies, development in the South, and third age. The project also links up with the the 'Social and Economic Concerns' theme of the FP7 Cooperation Programme, which acknowledges the implications of ageing and the complexity of technology and society interrelationships. The proposed research program involves (a) 12 months of indepth fieldwork in Kinshasa, divided into 4 field visits over the three years of the fellowship and (b) participation in research communities in the US and in Europe. Fieldwork will include participation, observation and interviews with Kinshasa's elders, opinion leaders and ICT brokers. In order to benefit from current cutting-edge anthropological research on technology and society, half of the duration of the project will be carried out as a visiting researcher at MIT (Boston), a leading centre in the development of new technologies and the cultural implications of these.The final part of the project will be hosted by the Institute of Anthropological Research of the K.U.Leuven (Belgium), a centre with longstanding expertise on anthropological research in DR Congo.
Ámbito científico
Convocatoria de propuestas
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IOF
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Régimen de financiación
MC-IOF - International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF)Coordinador
3000 Leuven
Bélgica