YSI @ ECOSOC Unschooling the Summer 2023

The Ecology and Society Workshop of the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (ECOSOC-CES), in co-organization with the Sustainability Working Group from Young Scholars Initiative, proposes to "un-school" the Summer, by walking, counter-mapping, performing. We will enjoy the summer heat and breeze of southwest Portugal to engage with the strong wave of movements and people involved in environmental conflicts.
The finest preserved coastline of Europe and its inhabitants are being subject to a series of actions, moving forward the agenda of accumulation by contamination and dispossession.
We seek to upend dominant imaginaries about Portugal and Alentejo (and the ‘summer’), focusing on the region’s intense environmental injustices and movements. We build on post/decolonial, intersectional, anti-racist, feminist approaches, political ecology, environmental justice, eco-feminism, commons/commoning, autonomy/autogestion, environmental humanities, among others. We are inspired by scholar-activist, and solidarity action-research, artistic activism, and other approaches, as forms of “political and epistemic disobedience”, through reparative narrating, critical introspection and cohabitation (convivencia/conviviality), and a deep ethical commitment to territories, transcending extractive academic practices of producing knowledge for its own sake. We seek to centre the praxis (actions & critical reflections) of those in the frontlines, who teach us resistance to the logics of permanent war, letting die, exploitation, displacement and forms of regeneration of (more-than-human) life.
We will offer workshops on collaborative writing, poltical ecology theatre and counter-mapping.
Together, these methodologies, will provide critical insights into research-action tools within political ecology and ecological economics. The materials generated (maps, zine, and other) will be shared with the allied organisations, and in future joint events together with YSI and ECOSOC.

When: 16-21 July
Where: From Lisbon to Sines, Portugal (+-100km)
How: Walking and cycling + camping/other (transfers using public transportation are included).
Who: It is aimed for graduate students (Ph.D. and Masters), early-career/
postdoctoral researchers, and other interested candidates from the public at large.
Languages: The caravan is open to English, Portuguese and Spanish. Peer-to-peer translations will be organized collectively as needed.

Key Dates

May 15: Application deadline
May 22: Notification of acceptance
June 5: Registration deadline
July 16-22: Ecological Walk – Unschooling the Summer
If you are interested in joining us, fill out this application form until May 15!

Contact: For any questions, please contact us using the YSI platform!