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.

Wednesday 30 September 2015

“Styles of Good Sense” Ethics, Filmmaking and Scholarship

Crew shooting early scene for the short, research-based film, RUFUS STONE

Kip Jones’ draft Chapter for The Routledge International Handbook on Narrative and Life History was deposited today on BRIAN and Academia.edu. The book’s section on Ethics is edited by Ivor Goodson, with assistance from Ari Antikainen, Molly Andrews and Pat Sikes. Jones’ Chapter entitled, “Styles of Good Sense—Ethics, Filmmaking and Scholarship” is based upon his experience as researcher, author and producer of the award winning short film, RUFUS STONE.

Jones proposes that aesthetics and ethics need to be considered in concert and that they are at the very heart of arts-based research. Ethics and Aesthetics become intertwined and support one another. Jones states:
‘Ethics, much like aesthetics, is often misunderstood as something effusive, illusive and somehow, decision-making by the few on a rarefied echelon, involving pronouncements of grand moral impact and/or sophisticated discrimination. For these kinds of reasons and to avoid potential headaches, it is often assumed that checklists and committees will be far better at making such decisions than mere individuals.’

Jones believes that ethics and aesthetics need to remain the prerogative of the researcher/filmmaker and her/his participants and audiences. By developing a trust in instinct and intuition and the naturally expressive and moral potential of our personal resources, research involving people’s stories can become richer and more human, if we only are willing to jettison some of the baggage of the old academic rigor and dry procedural ethics.
Jones’ involvement in the section of the book on Ethics will include co-contributors Arthur Frank, Norm Denzin, Laurel Richardson and Carolyn Ellis, and will be published in the New Year.


Thursday 24 September 2015

Pathways to Impact: Part Deux!

A Call-out to all with an interest around LGBT and ageing issues! 

We are inviting you to Bournemouth! Come spend Saturday 7 Nov. with us!

Are you interested in LGBT and ageing issues?  Are you looking for tools to engage your group or staff about the discrimination experienced by older gay or lesbian service users and what to do about it?  We are inviting participants who attended the first ESRC Festival of Social Science in 2012, the Masterclass in Ageing and LGBT issues the following April to share their experiences with all who are interested in reducing discrimination in ageing, particularly concerning LGBT citizens.

We are holding an ESRC Festival of Social Science event tby inviting participants who attended the previous one-day ESRC Festival event 2012 entitled, “Pathways to Impact: ageing, diversity, connectivity and community” and/or attended the Masterclass in Ageing and LGBT Issues “Train the Trainers” in April, 2013. Now is the chance for them to share with others, both in person and/or on record.
There will be opportunity for informal discussions about diversity, the potential damage of discrimination experienced by many older gay and lesbian citizens, and what can be done about it. The two previous events included a screening and distribution of the award winning, short film, RUFUS STONE and the launch and distribution of the Methods to Diversity Method Deck learning tool to inspire agencies, practitioners and communities to think about diversity within their ageing population.

Copies of the film and Method Deck will be available for free to new participants!

The aim of this event is to share our tools with you and hear the stories from others who have used them. We are inviting them to discuss how they have used the two learning tools within their organisations' activities. Our part will be to listen! Lee-Ann Fenge and Kip Jones from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences will facilitate.

We will listen to these experiences of using these tools in two focus groups, over coffees and at lunch, and share with each other how the tools might be used by newcomers. The morning will be set aside for individual reports, then all will be invited to share their own experiences of using these tools in two focus groups and share with each other how the tools might be used in the future. The morning is reserved for those who prefer to present more formal presentations of their use of the tools, successes and challenges. Please just let us know ahead what your time requirements will be and we can reserve a time-slot for you (approx. 20 minutes each).

We will be transcribing the discussions to develop an evaluation of the impact of these two innovative tools on real world practice.

Lunch, coffees and teas will be provided. Unfortunately, we are on a tight budget so there is no funding to cover your transportation costs. We suggest you book travel early and take advantage of reduced rates and Saturday travel prices.

The Event itself is FREE, but numbers are limited.

Please register on Eventbrite   http://aq.be/327d2f

 where you will find further particulars and details.

Tuesday 15 September 2015

RUFUS STONE shortlisted for AHRC Research in Film Award

The research-based biopic RUFUS STONE has just been shortlisted for the AHRC Research in Film Anniversary Prize for best AHRC funded film since 1998.

 

A central strand of the activities taking place throughout 2015 to mark the AHRC’s tenth anniversary, the awards attracted nearly 200 entries across the five categories.

The awards are designed to recognise the creative and innovative work being undertaken at the interface between research and film by world-leading researchers, practitioners and filmmakers in the UK arts and humanities research community.

RUFUS STONE was based on three years of research on older LGBT citizens living in south west England and Wales. The research team was led by Kip Jones and included Lee-Ann Fenge and Rosie Read on the team.

Bournemouth’s Kip Jones acted as Author and Executive Producer, with Josh Appignanesi directing the film. RUFUS STONE was produced by Parkville Pictures, London.

More information on the research and film-making

Watch the film here.