PhD Sociology

Incoming 2018

From the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM)

Research Project: Usage of the concept of insecurity in everyday life.

My name is Violeta Dikenstein, I am a Ph. D. candidate in Sociology at the Instituto de Altos Sociales (IDAES), Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). I am also a professor at the University of Buenos Aires and at the University of San Martín.

My work focuses on the ways in which the concept of insecurity (roughly associated with street crime) is narrated, categorized and experienced in one particular neighborhood of the City of Buenos Aires. Specifically, the objective of research is to explore and describe the ways in which people use the concept of insecurity in everyday life. My own approach to the topic has been through a qualitative and ethnographic methodology. In addition to participant observation, I have made several interviews and analyzed online discussions and web forums. Theoretically, I am engaging with different literature fields, such as the studies on fear of crime, community studies, vigilantism, and sociology of public issues.               

I spent ten days in living in Cologne thanks to a joint Mobility Grant from the DAAD Network Remapping Global South and the Global South Studies Center Cologne (Universität zu Köln) as well as the Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales (Universidad Nacional de General San Martín).

During my staying on Cologne, I attended to the workshop “Impacts of MNEs on upgrading value chains", in charge of the Professors Javier Revilla Diez and Ariel Wilkis, which was very interesting because it was an opportunity to know other ways of thinking and doing social sciences, as well as to get in touch with other young researchers from Germany and other countries of the global south. 

In addition, I had the chance to present the topic of my thesis and receive comments that will undoubtedly be a great contribution.

I am very happy with my experience in Cologne, I think it was a very productive and enriching training instance for my academic career and I am very pleased to have had this opportunity.