I p c e 

N E W S L E T T E R

 Number E 24, March 2008   - ZipWord version

Ipce is a forum for people who are engaged in scholarly discussion about the understanding and emancipation of mutual relationships between children or adolescents and adults.

 In this context, these relationships are intended to be viewed from an unbiased, non-judgmental perspective and in relation to the human rights of both the young and adult partners.
Ipce meets once every one or two years in a different country, publishes a newsletter and a web site, co-ordinates the (electronic) exchange of texts and keeps an archive of specific written publications.  

Introduction  

Here is Ipce’s Newsletter number E(lectronic) 24. The Newsletter is made on line and in a paper version for those who have no access to the Internet or who want to download and print the Word version. But note that the Newsletter gives only some interesting files, but that the updates of the website and Ipce Magazine give far more information.  

Here you will find the report of the Ipce Meeting 2007, hold in October. As usual, intern matters and policy are discussed, among which are new rules for the admission of new members. This is because we have had infiltrators with bad intentions. 

The main theme of the meeting was: research. I have presented there some German research reports in English. This is because not too many Germans write English, even often not a Summary in English, and because only a few English-speaking people understand the German language. During the meeting, I presented those reports by word of mouth, giving a bird’s view on the reports by some quotes and in my own words. However, for the report of the meeting in this Newsletter, I wanted to give more quotes and precise translations. 

This was more or less a pitfall, because this has cost lots of time, far more than I had realized myself. This is the reason that this report and Newsletter is quite late: March 2008, about a meeting in October 2007. I could read the German texts easily, but as soon I wanted to translate them, I could not remember any English word. Clearly, I had to activate another part of my brain where my English dictionary is. Then, I had to de-activate the English section of my brain and to re-activate the German one – and so again and again. I had not foreseen this, and it was unexpectedly fatiguing and thus time consuming. 

The thread in the chosen research reports is that the researchers (Baurmann, Lautmann, Vogt & Naudé) listen to their respondents and took what they have told – their narrative – for serious and true - their truth. Much research in thus field is flawed by prejudices, prejudicing definitions (if any definition is given) and prejudicing assumptions and hypotheses, thus conclusions. Griesemer describes the point of return in the way of thinking and acting (research, assessment, diagnostics & therapy) in Germany, which he locates in 1987. He also sketches the bad consequences of this change. 
There was still room for four articles, also about research and interpretation of specific data. 
Let’s go on – being critical on prejudices.