Montecatini Terme, Italy, 19-25 July 2027
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
This annual Training School is organised and hosted by the International Urban Symposium-IUS in collaboration with an international interdisciplinary group of senior scholars from leading universities.
The School is aimed at postgraduate students, postdoctoral scholars and practitioners who are interested in research in urban settings and in empirically-grounded analysis.
This 7-day Field Training School offers an interactive learning environment and opportunities to discuss the rationale and practices of traditional and new research methods and mainstream debates.
The primary aim is to train participants in the “art” of conducting ethnographic fieldwork, develop the link between ethnographically-based analysis and social theory and bring out the relevance of such analysis to the broader society.
The School will address key contemporary urban issues, including:
– legitimacy and legitimation;
– governance;
– urban diversity;
– stereotype and stigma;
– vernacular landscape and visual approaches to city change;
– heritage, memory and contested urban spaces;
– health and healthy living;
– informal practices;
– disaster and conflict;
– application and challenges of new technologies (e.g., digital technologies and AI.
Attendees will become part of an international network, establishing long-lasting connections with both other participants and the teaching staff.
Social events will take place benefiting from the centrality of the location within easy reach of Tuscany’s world-renowned iconic places.
PROGRAMME
Teaching and seminar discussions will be in English. The School will include:
- Teaching Seminars led by senior scholars, who will use a wide range of ethnographic, methodological and theoretical expertise to address topical issues. Participants are expected to complete the selected readings provided before the start of the School and actively engage in discussion.
- Targeted Observational Fieldtrips will supplement the in-class work. During structured city walks and observational fieldtrips, participants will be asked to take notes in view of producing brief reports on their observations, to be discussed by the group.
- Research Seminars. With a view to honing and developing junior scholars’ skills as future professionals, the research seminar will give participants the opportunity to present their work, engage in academic debate and benefit from expert feedback from the teaching staff. Feedback on how to revise oral presentations for publication will be provided to seminar papers at an advanced stage. It is anticipated that expanded and revised versions of select Seminar papers will be considered for publication in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Urbanities-Journal of Urban Ethnography.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION:
Applications will be accepted until Monday 15 March 2027.
HOW TO APPLY
Details on How to Apply, Registration Fees, Accommodation and Travel are available at: https://www.internationalurbansymposium.com/ius-school/2027-field-training-school/
Contacts: For further details please contact the School Coordinators, Prof. Italo Pardo at: i.pardo@kent.ac.uk and Prof. Giuliana B. Prato at: g.b.prato@kent.ac.uk