1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Ce mémoire propose d’explorer comment les femmes dans des relations amoureuses à distance utilisent divers modes d’expression (visuels, textuels, oraux et tactiles) ainsi que plusieurs sens à travers de multiples technologies mobiles, qui lui [sic] permettent de reconstruire la présence et l’intimité avec l’autre.» (p. iii)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«How do women in long distance relationships use various modes of expression (visual, textual, aural, and haptic) through different mobile technologies in order to construct an intimate (relational) place and an -imagined presence/absence- of the other in their every day practices of mobile intimacies at a distance? What are the social, cultural, political, and other implications of these mobile intimacies and practices for these women and their distant relations?» (p. 9)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«My sample includes [seven] women over 18 years of age, living in Peru, and in Montreal who are in intimate relationships with a partner that lives in another country.» (p. 10)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«In Chapter II, (im)Mobilities, I examined the various movements that were part of my interviewees everyday lives. My data shows various forms and practices of virtual (dis) connectivity, which range from micro-coordination and creative linguistic games to break ups. The chapter on (mobile) intimacy highlights practices of virtual connectivity that were used in order to construct or maintain intimacy between partners. I have argued that intimacy has shifted from fixed locations to more mobile ones, resulting in an increasing intimacy “on the move”. These textually, aurally, visually intimate practices raised questions regarding the types of immaterial and affective labors at work within my participants’ remote relationships, especially with regards to questions of control and virtual monitoring. In the final chapter on presence/absence, I proposed the notion of technological presence/absence. The term is specific to newer technologies and assumes that partners have access to Internet and smartphones. Yet, the notion ties into wider media ideologies in which expectations of immediacy and reciprocity are often presumed in constructing a sense of presence or absence of the other.» (p. 109)