I am in the process of designing the pilot study-the Brighton scene. The design process
of the pilot study includes (there are a few ways to think about it, but I have come to see it in this sceme):
a) thematizing: clarifying the concepts and the purpose of the study, in other words, Why? What do I want to ask and what do I want to know? What is already known and what will I add?
b) methods- who am I going to ask and How? Why this way and not another way? What are the moral implications of the way I will do it?

Timeline: The design of the pilot study will be ready in week 6. Then, the research based on the plan will take place in weeks 7 and 8. I will prepare the material for analysis in week 9 (transcribe intreviews etc) and analyse/ verify (not sure how far the latter is appropriate for my type of study) in weeks 10 and 11. Two more easter vacation weeks for writing up ( and one week playing at the beach and celebrating my birthday which is the final day of march, every year).

The themes I have so far identified and doing some basic reading (to be explored in greater depth later) are:
-Judith Butler’s concept of politics of subversion and parody (in GT)
-Rosi Braidotti’s concept of ‘as if’, ‘nomadic subjects’ and ‘becoming’.
-Deleuze and ‘becoming’
-geographies of sexualities (places and spaces, local and global- online/offline)- I am reading ‘Mapping desire : geographies of sexualities’, edited by David Bell and Gill Valentine

-ACT UP, Queer Nation histories and political strategies – I am reading ‘State of the queer nation : critique of gay and lesbian politics in 1990s Britain’ (by) Chris Woods.
– Brighton as a lesbian/gay city – I am reading ‘Brighton Our Story’ at http://www.brightonourstory.co.uk/past/history/index.html

The formations I am interested in are Queer Mutiny Brighton, Westhill Wotever, the Brighton Wotever, Kingdom Come Drag King Collective and party collectives like Slutdisco, Out of the Bedroom and into the streets, In Everyhome… a Heartache.

The methods I am considering are life histories, participant observation and virtual ethnography.