Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light AARHUS UNIVERSITET AU FROM GANG MEMBER TO ACADEMIC LINE LERCHE MØRCK & ”PETER”

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FROM GANG MEMBER TO ACADEMIC

LINE LERCHE MØRCK & ”PETER”

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CONFIDENTIALITY AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES

”Peter” is a cover name – used for our security and protection, because research from a position as former biker gang member can be dangerous

Therefore we will ask you not to share Peters real name The article and the life conduct list is anonymized – we will ask not to share it –

without asking us In this room we would like to speak more freely – not having to think of

anonymizing, what we say Therefore we need to ask you to keep sensitive issues as confidential/fortrolige We will discuss more about the ethical challenges and dilemmas in the second

part – where we also show you a documentary about ethics

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CONTENT 1. Social practice theory and moment-movement ethnography 2. Analysis of various moments:

› A) Sp(l)itting on the street› B) Sitting by the computer› c) Movements beyond biker gang member and the fealing of hope

that at civil future as academic is possible 3. Collective movements and partiel transcending doublebinds and

dilemmas, processes of recognition, objectivations and reification 4. Film (15 minutes): "Research ethics from the margin- from biker gang to

academia." Discussion of the ethical challenges (fordringer = claims?) - Løgstrup and

social practice ethics; what is ethical – analyzed from the life situation and perspective of Peter?

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OVERALL FOCUS OF INTEREST AND DISCUSSIONS

Researching major identity transformations, as continuity and change in conduct of life, conflictual processes of belonging, recognition, and struggles of marginalization – expansive learning in and across different contexts and communities

Do we produce prototypical narratives, narrative protypes, or something more than that – doing research and changing the world?

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SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES TO CARLSSONS LIFE STORY OR LIFE COURSE STUDY OF DESISTANCE (2012)

“Narrative usually takes the form of a written or oral text, “a temporally ordered statement concerning events experienced by and/or

actions of one or more protagonists” (Presser, 2009: 178). Life stories are rich, extensive narratives of personal experience in which the participant tries to make sense of his or her past by exploring it from the present, with an eye toward the future (Becker, 1966).” (Carlsson, 2012, p. 666).

Our focus is on moments in the present 10 month of exit period – analysis in depth – in relation to movements (identity transformation – partly transcending marginalization)

In contrast to criminology - desistence from crime is not our main focus

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HOLZKAMP: EXPANSIVE LEARNING As meaningful, in line with one's life interests vs. “defensive learning”: “cut off from the joint

control over the living conditions, thrown back on [one]self, controlled by immediate threats and needs” (Holzkamp, 2013a, p. 124)

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BEYOND DUALITY OF REAL LIFE/MEANING AND LIFE ROUTINES “The analytical category of concerns is used here in

preference to [Holzkamps] notion of real life because it facilitates a more practice based and complex analysis of what matters more or less for individual and collective subjects. It facilitates new possibilities for analysing conflicting concerns of both individual and collective subjects [..] (such as the family-us)” (Hybholt & Mørck 2015 in press)

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RECOGNITION AND INTERPELLATION AS PART OF A COMMUNITY

“Interpellation is when the subject recognizes herself as recognized in this unique but universal identity, and with this responsibility given as meaningfulness defined in the ideology” (Nissen, 2012, p. 193)

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OUR MOMENT-MOVEMENT METHODOLOGY

studying significant moments in depth It is moments of frustration, anger, passions,

telos or desire and hopes for a possible future - and action reasons

Using social technologies such as audio and video logs, biographical documentaries and life story presentations to reflect identity change.

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PETERS REFLECTIVE WORK – PRODUCTION OF PROTOTYPICAL NARRATIVES, CHANGE AND POTENTIAL PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH RESEARCH

Selected logs and moments:How do Peter work with (collective) reflections in audio logs, transcriptions and analysis, reflecting feelings and action reasons of the old “biker gang member –self” ("Jack“) and his new self as a civilian "Peter".

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PETERS REFLECTIVE WORK

putting the old “biker gang member-self” "in a box".

Peter normally opposes the idea of categorizing people, but in the logs it helps him to work consciously with subdividing himself into two selves in order to become less of a biker gang member.

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HOPE, DESIRE, TELOS AND CONCERNS IN THE CONDUCT OF EVERYDAY LIFE Through the continuous reflexive work, he hopes to

be able to avoid reproducing the old "biker gang member-self", thereby becoming more of his new self as "Peter", who acts reflexive and more neutral in situations that can be conflictual.

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LOG: 27/10/2014: "SP(L)ITTING ON THE STREET“ (2) "I've just backed out the car and I’m about to drive off, when three

young guys is walking by. One of them is an immigrant with an attitude that I immediately recognize from the gangs. They all look like lads about 18-20 years old, and I assume that they are working in [area], where marijuana is being sold. One of them, the immigrant, the guy with the biggest attitude, the alpha-male of their small group, is looking at me, keeping eye contact, then looks away and spits pretentiously on the ground in front of the car. [Peter's wife Christine] looks at me immediately, and I know ... pause and sigh. I then look at [Christine] and says to her, "Wow, imagine if that had happened a year ago." My usual behavior would have been to put the car in park, jump out, walk to him, punch him in the face and completely smash his friends. [..]

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LOG: 27/10/2014: "SP(L)ITTING ON THE STREET“ (2)

However, I’m not doing that today. While they are passing, I’m saying to [Christine], that I have to admit, that I have a lot of conflictual thoughts right now, to which she replies:" I’m not going to think less of you, if you do not act on it". And that got to me a bit. Because I cannot help thinking, that by bringing it up, it might be exactly what she is going to do (think less of me). Why else would she think of it in the first place? I choose not to do anything, and I do not feel the urge to either, to be honest. [..]

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LOG: 27/10/2014: "SP(L)ITTING ON THE STREET“ (3)

Later I’m meeting up a guy named [Morten], an old [ex-biker gang member, who has also left the same gang] at the gym. We work out at the same place. I mention the situation to him, and he says: "Oh - and so they got smashed" and I answer no, actually they did not. "Well what did you do?" I did not really do anything. Oh - you didn’t do anything at all. No I sure as hell didn’t. Well they should have gotten their faces punched in.

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LOG: 27/10/2014: "SP(L)ITTING ON THE STREET“ (4) And during this whole time his girlfriend is standing next to him,

observing the conversation between [Morten] and me. I was [in a leading position to Morten] before, so I know very well what I would have expected and what would have happened in the past, so I try to tell him that if I had wanted to do it, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Because that's how I've handled the situations in my adult life, so I'm used to it. Only it would mean taking a path that would lead me somewhere else, than where my goal is. Be he doesn’t understand. And at that point, when I sense that I can’t make him understand and I sense that he is thinking whether I’ve gone soft, I say: "it might have to do with the fact [Morten] that they are so young, had it been someone your age, who acted this way, then I would have crushed his face with a weight cuff at once”.

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LOG, JUNE 5 - REFLECTION “I used to be very aggressive [..] if someone said something to me; I

reacted very quickly and would put people in their place. I don’t mean physically, but if someone annoyed me, I would respond very quickly and I got angry easily. I think it was mostly because I was stressed out and because, being [in Jacks position] forced me to run everything in a dichotomous matter, where it was all black/white, either or - everything had to be done by the book. If someone made a mistake, I would respond quickly and hard. Now that I am no longer in [gang], I don’t feel the need to be that way anymore. And that suddenly makes me appear as more understanding and accepting and less aggressive. It makes me appear more flexible and kind, but all of this also makes me look scared. As if quitting [gang] leaves me no choice but to be nice” (Log, 05/06/14)

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JUNE 5

"[I think] that I get angry because they move something within me, that makes me feel insecure and then I respond by overcompensating and becoming even more angry. And I become aware of it by talking to Line about moment-movement methodology [..] which I’m now using to try to use to describe the situations; that this is an important situation, because I act in a way which is very unfortunate and of course I have to learn why. Why was I so pissed of – and now I have an idea of why.. "(Log 5/6/2014)

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JUNE 5, HOPE - THE POSSIBILITY OF A CIVIL FUTURE

"This thing, to sit here at …22:16pm and I have had a long working day at [construction project]. The feeling of sitting here now and it is all quiet and I work on the computer and prepares myself for the lectures ... it does something ... it gives me a feeling that it would be possible for me, in addition to an academic education, to do more work in this genre. That somewhere out there, there is a possibility for a civil future for me. "(log 5/6/2014).

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OBJECTIFICATIONS AND REIFICATIONS

Other selected moments of (collective) movements of potential empowerment?B) how do collective processes of recognition and reification help about major personal changes, in the process of becoming more of something and less of other things?c) How do objectivications and reifications processes as part of our common production of documentaries, articles and presentations influence Peters processes of changed social self-understanding , and (partly) expanding Peters scope of possibilities in life

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“the action possibilities and movements beyond marginalization contains elements of objectification (Nissen, 2002) and reification (Wenger, 2004), that provides the movements beyond marginalization with extra power and importance”.

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"This whole thing, to be involved in different projects, it gives me the feeling of small success – the affirmation that I actually have something they can use. That I have something to offer in this unknown area, in which my new life is going to take form. And I feel that small successes creates several small successes. So it works really well. And now I will try to actively seek out more opportunities to engage in more projects. "(Log, 05/06/14)

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"I am told that I am contributing. At the point I am currently at, I really have no idea of what I'm doing. I am surrounded by all these highly educated academics and I am messing about, but I am told that what I bring to the table is contributing and that makes me happy. Because in the meantime it helps me, that I feel that I am in fact contributing with something. "(The biography documentary 'The lived ethics')

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SUBJECTIFICATION AND OBJECTIFICATION PROCESSES AS PART OF RECOGNITION (NISSEN)

Nissen (2012) has a similar point on how “Recognition establishes a special kind of "suspense", thus recognition includes the power to define the other as a subject in ways where the very meaning only becomes evident later on behalf of the collective, which is about to arise.” (Nissen, 2012, p. 170-171).

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"I'M LEARNING WHAT I'M ALLREADY DOING“ (LAVE)

"It's kind of like what I think I'm doing together with Line at the moment. Most of what we are doing is something we create together. Some of it we already know, but suddenly we are adding theory to what we already know. We are creating a community of practice, her and me. And we have started to expand the community of practice, so that you [Lone May Clausen], [and two from the NGO Fryshuset Denmark] also are a part of it. We are in the process of creating something new. For me to create something and be part a of this community of practice, I can understand that from a theoretical perspective of Ole Dreier and critical psychology - how ones movements and being part of a collective process, how it affects me. Because this community of practice allows me to orient myself towards the new collective instead of my old community. And sometimes when I just do not know what to do, then I have this goal in the horizon that I would like to reach – and that makes me focus on what I should do for now in this context. "('The lived ethics ')

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REIFICATION (WENGER, 2004)

The "process that shapes our experience by creating objects that brings this experience to harden into" things" (p. 73), and to the product of the process (Wenger, 2004 p. 75). Participation and reification must be present according to Wenger (2004) in order for a meaningful negotiation and development of new meaning to happen. "Reification focuses the negotiation of meaning" (Wenger, 2004, p. 73).

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REIFICATION IN PRACTICE

"It's nice that people from the outside can see a development, in addition to my own experience of it. I also think it makes it easier for outsiders to relate to our research/ development of our community of practice, when they get it presented the way you did in the lecture, or by watching the documentary we are currently working on. Sometimes it can be difficult to make the theoretical part and how it is implemented in our work, understandable. (Email from Peter, 8/23/14).

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NOT JUST NARRATIVES, WE ARE ALSO ENGAGED IN PRODUCING CHANGE ”Note to myself. The next time I will open by

explaining that I personally have some unfortunate experiences with the Exit programme, and how this has influenced me negatively. The representatives from the established system are being very defensive. I want to remain authentic, but I’m considering how I’ll be able to make them listen, so they can implement the critique for the better. [..] I refuse to be a lap dog, but I should perhaps put more focus on the possibilities for development.(Logs d. 26.11.14)

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“When you want to become part of a new environment, you bring your own knowledge and process along, but you still need to be validated by the established environment. It is all well that you are in a evolving, Because it’s fine that you are developing yourself, but you still have to be evaluated by the established environment, which has to accept, what you are producing – you are allowed to be a part of this and we accept your continuous contribution. The necessity of being evaluated and validated by others does’nt go well with me And if I had not been told this by Wenger, in my interpretation, I would never have been aware of this. Before learning this I would not have cared at all if people did not like me. I am glad I was told this so early in the process, now I am aware of it. This is one of the ways our collaboration have an indirect effect. It is not only what she tells me, but also the theories and researchers she presents me to, that helps me.” (Filmen ’Den levede etik’)

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4. FILM (15 MINUTES): "RESEARCH ETHICS FROM THE MARGIN- FROM BIKER GANG TO ACADEMIA."

Discussion of the ethical challenges (fordringer = claims?) - Løgstrup and social practice ethics; what is ethical – analyzed from the life situation and perspective of Peter?

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REFERENCES Mørck & Hansen (in press.) Fra rocker til akademiker. Psyke & Logos. Mørck, L. L. (2006, 2007). Grænsefællesskaber. Læring og overskridelse af

marginalisering. Frederiksberg: Roskilde Universitets Forlag 1. og 2. oplag.: 1-286

Mørck, L. L. Hussain, K., Møller-Andersen, C., Ozupek, T., Palm, A. & Vorbeck, I., (2013). Praxis development in relation to gang conflicts, Copenhagen Denmark. Outlines, Special Issue on “Transformative Social Practice and Socio-Critical Knowledge”, Langemeyer, I & Schmachtel, S (ed.), 79-105 http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/9794

Mørck, L. L. (2014a). “Learning to live”. Expansive learning and mo(ve)ments beyond “gang exit”. Full paper, 11th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS), Boulder, Colorado, USA, 23-27 Juni, 2014. http://pure.au.dk//portal/files/73582372/Learning_to_live_ISCL_Morck_2014final.pdf

Mørck, L. L. (in press). Alternativer til ’bande-exit’ – At “lære at leve” et nyt liv. Rosendahl & Dorf: Lærebog i pædagogisk sociologi, Aarhus Universitetsforlag. Udkommer i 2015.

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