Field Training School and Research Seminar
URBAN RESEARCH: THEORY AND METHODS
Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy
Coordinators: Italo Pardo and Giuliana B. Prato, University of Kent, UK
Since 2006, this annual Field 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.
More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and this proportion is expected to increase to two-thirds by 2050. Urbanisation proceeding at such a pace has meant increases in the number and size of cities but also continues to alter the social fabric of urban centres, sometimes in profound ways, leading to new policy priorities (such as the globally encompassing Sustainable Development Goals). “States of emergency” (prompted by violence, pandemics, crises) add a further layer of complexity. The socio-economic, political and cultural ramifications of these multifaceted contemporary urban changes highlight the need to understand what is going on in our cities; hence the importance of ethnographic research, and the attendant methodological and theoretical questions.
This Field Training School is aimed at postgraduate students, postdoctoral scholars and early career academics interested in research in urban settings and in empirically-grounded analysis. The primary aim is to train participants in the “art” of conducting ethnographic fieldwork and develop the link between ethnographically-based analysis and social theory.
The School offers an interactive learning environment and opportunities to discuss the rationale and practices of traditional and new research methods and mainstream debates. It provides an opportunity to become part of an international network, establishing long-lasting connections with both other participants and the teaching staff.
PROGRAMME
The School programme includes:
- Teaching Seminars led by international senior scholars, who will use a wide range of ethnographic, methodological and theoretical expertise to address topical issues.
- Targeted Observational Field Excursions. These structured city walks and observational field excursions will supplement the in-class work. Participants are expected to produced brief reports which will be presented during a dedicated session.
- 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 offered. Expanded and revised versions of select Seminar papers may be considered for publication in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Urbanities-Journal of Urban Ethnography.
TOPICS
The Teaching Seminars focus on methodological and theoretical debates, benefiting from the staff’s wide range of ethnographic, methodological and theoretical expertise to address interrelated topical issues.
Over the years, key topics addressed in the School have included:
legitimacy and processes of legitimation;
citizenship and governance;
stereotype and stigma;
urban diversity and resilience;
informality;
migration;
application and challenges of digital technologies;
public health and healthcare;
public space;
vernacular landscape, heritage, identity;
crisis, emergency and conflict;
violence and risks;
aging;
sport mega-events;
rituals;
urban protest;
contested urban spaces;
adolescents’ life experiences;
overtourism;
informal urbanization and cultural history.
Teaching and seminar discussions are in English.
To encourage exchanges among participants, social events are also organised, benefiting from the centrality of the location within easy reach of Tuscany’s world-renowned iconic places.
Learn more about past editions of the School by visiting the dedicated pages by years.
Read about Past Editions here.
Read about Attendees’ Experience here.
TRAVEL and VISA INFORMATION
- Travel Information: Montecatini Terme is easily reachable by train and by air. Details on travel information are available here
- Visa Information: Italy is in the EU Schengen area, so Schengen Visa rules apply to enter for the purpose of the School. Further information and useful links are available here
Contact emails: Prof. Italo Pardo (i.pardo@kent.ac.uk) and Prof. Giuliana B. Prato (g.b.prato@kent.ac.uk).