Kip Jones

KIP JONES, an American by birth, has been studying and working in the UK for more than 20 years.
Under the umbrella term of 'arts-led research', his main efforts have involved developing tools
from the arts and humanities for use by social scientists in research and its impact on a wider
public or a Perfomative Social Science.

Jones was Reader in Performative Social Science and Qualitative Research at
Bournemouth University for 15 years.
He is now a Visiting Scholar and and an independent author and scholar.

Kip has produced films and written many articles for academic journals and authored chapters
for books on topics such as masculinity, ageing and rurality, and older LGBT citizens.
Jones' most recent work involves working with Generation Z youth to tell their stories using
social media.
His ground-breaking use of qualitative methods, including Auto-fiction, biography
and auto-ethnography, and the use of tools from the arts in social science research
and dissemination are well-known.

Jones acted as Author and Executive Producer of
the award-winning short film, RUFUS STONE, funded by Research Councils UK.
The film is now available for free viewing on the Internet
and has been viewed by more than 14,000 people in 150 countries.

Areas of expertise
• Close relationships, culture and ethnicity
• Social psychology, sociology
• Ageing, self and identity
• Interpersonal processes, personality,
individual differences,
social networks, prejudice and stereotyping
• Sexuality and sexual orientation
• Creativity and the use of the
arts in Social Science

Media experience
His work has been reported widely
in the media, including:
BBC Radio 4,BBC TV news,Times
Higher Education, Sunday New
York Times, International
Herald-Tribune
and The Independent.

Sunday 13 May 2012

"Playing with Purpose" ...new work from the Gergens

Mary and Ken Gergen at 
an Art Deco Hotel in 
Bournemouth, 2011

Mary and Ken assembled some playthings and heaped them into their toy chest.  It was a beautifully handcrafted crate (painted apple green with wheels attached) that they filled with fascinating curiosities.  The couple hauled their container to their nearby playground, lingering near the gate to see who would join them.

The bossy boy, whom everybody habitually obeys and is frequently named ‘Jack’, appeared. “We will have a football game with teams and rules and regulations!” shouted Jack, hands on hips.

Pretty Priscilla, the playground Princess and socially astute, knew that jumping rope got the boys to watch the girls and so rallied them at the other end of the playing field: “C’mon, girls!”

The boys started playing football and the girls tagged along with Priscilla and began jumping rope.  Everyone felt safe, even knowledgeable, within this binary.

Except for Mary and Ken.  They wanted to encourage an escapade and persuade others to join in.

“Mystery and adventure!” Ken enticed.

 “Serious fun!” Mary chimed in.

Your desire for this story to have a conclusion is palatable.  But it doesn’t. You will have to read this book and decide whether to play.

Mary and Ken are waiting.  So am I.

_____________________________
Playing with Purpose
Adventures in Performative Social Science
Mary M Gergen (Author); Kenneth J Gergen (Author)
320 pp. / 6.00 x 9.00 / May, 2012

Hardback (978-1-59874-545-0)
Paperback (978-1-59874-546-7)
Available May, 2012
Left Coast Press 

The book includes a Chapter by Kip Jones and Mary Gergen:  "Editorial: A Conversation about Performative Social Science"  previously published in FQS.