Looking back with PhD Candidate Joanna Jurkiewicz

LolMyThesis. To summarize the main idea of my thesis in one sentence is really hard:/! Here is my attempt: I wrote a whole dissertation to say that cross-cultural encounters aren’t real because – how do we exactly “meet” a culture?

It’s all about that space. I joined the CRC quite late in my dissertation, so it was already too late for me to include many of its concepts directly. However, if the term “geographical imaginations” can be considered a CRC concept, then I would say this is the most important one. It is closely related to my research and highlights the symbolic dimensions that place migration and diversity narratives within a spatial context. The notion of “geographical imaginations” reveals how narratives on migration carry symbolic spatial imaginations of the world as an encounter of cultures and nations.

Looking back, I would advise my past self just starting my PhD to finish the broad ethnographic fieldwork phase earlier. You already have enough material to fill two books. Analyze first and return later for more focused data collection. Take time to focus on writing even during the fieldwork phase.

A day in a life. My typical day as a PhD candidate looks like this: At the moment, since I’m in my final year, I’m focused on writing. My days aren’t particularly exciting – I mostly just get a coffee and go to my desk at home to pick up where I left off the day before.

It’s all about the spatial arrangement. I work best at my desk at home, most of the time. That’s where I get good coffee and a fully focused atmosphere. I mainly go to the office to meet my colleagues.

When you know, you know. The most surprising thing about doing a PhD is that, at a certain point, you simply know that it’s time to finish.

Back to the future. If I were to offer advice to doctoral researchers who are just starting out in the next phase of the CRC, I would say that it’s a privilege to be able to focus entirely on your PhD. Enjoy the time and this amazing intellectual environment, make the most of the exchange within the CRC, and take what you need.

Author Bio: Joanna Jurkiewicz is a sociologist and art historian. She works as a research associate in Cultural and Social Geography at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where she is part of CRC 1265 subproject A01 “Geographic Imaginations II: Ontological (In)Securities in Rural Areas”. In her doctoral project, she examines the historical and contemporary entanglements of cultural production and integration discourses in the context of German immigration history. Her research combines methods and perspectives from sociology, visual studies, and urban and regional studies.