FIELD TRAINING SCHOOL AND RESEARCH SEMINAR
URBAN ETHNOGRAPHY AND THEORY
Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy, 18-26 July 2022
Convenors: Italo Pardo and Giuliana B. Prato, University of Kent, UK
This Field Training School and Research Seminar brought together 25 postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral scholars from around the world. It was convened on behalf of the International Urban Symposium-IUS by Italo Pardo and Giuliana B. Prato in collaboration with an international group of senior scholars. The working language was English.
The School offered an interactive learning environment and extended opportunities to discuss in depth the rationale and practices of traditional and new research methods and mainstream debates. The primary aim was to train students in the ‘art’ of conducting ethnographic fieldwork and develop the link between ethnographically-based analysis and social theory.
Over 9 full days, the School developed through 21 Teaching Seminars led by a team of senior scholars from the UK, India, Greece, Turkey, USA, Italy, Israel and France for a total of 38 hours.
The in-class work was supplemented by structured city walks and a 1-day focused observational field trip on which students produced field reports that were discussed by the group during dedicated (6-hour) sessions.
With a view to honing and developing junior scholars’ skills as future professionals, the School culminated in a full-day Research Seminar that gave students who are engaged in research the opportunity to present their work, engage in academic debate and benefit from expert feedback from the teaching staff.
Publication. Expanded and revised versions of select Seminar papers were published in outlets associated with the IUS, including the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Urbanities-Journal of Urban Ethnography (https://www.anthrojournal-urbanities.com/).
The group enjoyed evening concerts at the splendid Terme Il Tettuccio, a World Heritage Site, and an evening at the medieval hamlet of Montecatini Alto.
This successful international academic endeavour gained local recognition.
Farewell Party
The Venue: Hotel Corallo, Montecatini Terme, Italy
