René Tuma: From communicative constructivism to reflexive methodology. The study of vernacular video analysis.

In contemporary society the availability of visual technology leads to new forms of self-observation. Video recordings are used to observe human action. Going along with the development of technologiy the studies of movement, action and behaviour of the body have formed an set of professional fields. The detailled examination of audiovisual recordings here is pursued for a number of ends, not limited to understanding and explanation, but also for improvement of performance or of course for surveillance and control. I call those forms of video analysis that go beyond the field of science "vernacular video analysis".

Based on the theoretical framework of communicative constructivism my paper draws on questions of how to reflect our own sociological methodology how they are different from everyday vernacular practice. What role do relevancies play and how is the situated gaze connected to more abstract field structures.