Srinagar: A webinar on Research during covid-19: introducing Digital Ethnography was designed to describe research opportunities using technological tools during covid-19 crisis. The webinar was organised by School of Management Studies, BGSB University. Prof. Javed Musarrat, Vice chancellor, BGSB University lauded the efforts of the organizing team for hosting the webinar. Prof. Musarrat mentioned that there is rising significance of ethnographic research based on the use of digital resources around the world. Prof. Musarrat said that BGSB University has been effectively responding to the covid-19 crisis by moving the educational and associated activities online. Researchers can see opportunities in the crisis by learning new techniques and adopting new methodologies for carrying high impact research, he mentioned.
Prof. K M Baharul Islam , Dean academics IIM Kashipur delivered the Keynote address. Prof. Bahar said that Digital ethnography is essential to our understanding of the social world; it defines methodologies and provides the framework for utilizing the technological tools needed to research the society. Prof. Bahar said that Ethnographic research practices shaped by digitalisation, has become increasingly popular in the recent years with the growing influence and presence of the internet in people’s everyday lives and has gained relevance in the present situation when the mobility of the researchers has been adversely affected due to covid-19 crisis. Prof. Bahar said that the main difference between ethnographic research and digital ethnography is that the researcher does not have to travel to a particular location in order to make their observations. Digitalisation and online communications provide researchers with unprecedented opportunities for accessing and examining people’s communicative repertoires across the globe, he mentioned.
Prof. Naseem Ahmed , Dean School of the Management Studies presented the overview of the theme and laid down the contours for the discussion. Dr. Danish Iqbal Raina, delivered the welcome address. Around 250 participants including researchers, faculty members and students from India and abroad participated in the webinar.

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