FIELD TRAINING SCHOOL AND RESEARCH SEMINAR
URBAN RESEARCH: THEORY AND METHODS
Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy, 21-27 July 2024
Convenors: Italo Pardo and Giuliana B. Prato, University of Kent, UK
This annual Field Training School and Research Seminar was organised and hosted by the International Urban Symposium-IUS in collaboration with an international group of senior scholars from leading universities.
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.
The School’s teaching staff included, in alphabetic order: Gary Armstrong (City, University London, UK); Nicola Brady (Transport for London & Practitioner-in-Residence, City University of London, UK); Jerome Krase (Brooklyn College-CUNY, USA); Erin Lynch (Concordia University, Canada); Karolina Moretti (University of Athens, Greece); Italo Pardo (University of Kent, UK); Giuliana B. Prato (University of Kent, UK); James Rosbrook-Thompson (City, University London, UK); Matthew Rosen (Ohio University, USA).
The 2024 IUS School brought together 15 postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral scholars from Canada, France, Germany, Hawaii, India, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, the USA.
The working language was English.
The School opened with a 60-minute Session including a Welcome address and a detailed explanation of the event’s structure. This was followed by an 80-minute Session introducing the students to the event’s intellectual scope.
Over 7 full days the School’s programme included:
- Twelve 80-minute focused Teaching Seminars led by members of the staff;
- Discussion of the reading materials that were circulated among the participants one month prior the start of the School. Participants were asked to read and actively discuss the literature;
- A 3-hour Field Excursion to the medieval hamlet of Montecatini Alto and a one-day Field Trip in the city of Montecatini Terme (preceded by 60-minute methodological instructions from the staff), and writing-up a field report;
- 1-day dedicated session during which students reported on their field trip;
- A 1-day Research Seminar Session during which students presented their work. With a view to honing and developing junior scholars’ skills as future professionals, this full-day Research Seminar gave students who are engaged in research the opportunity to discuss their work and benefit from peer-discussion and expert feedback from the teaching staff. Each presentation was allocated 30 minutes, including discussion. In June, the abstracts from all papers were circulated via email among the participants and the staff. The Seminar Sessions were chaired by members of the staff;
- The School concluded with a Session on the publication process, potential outlets and indications on how to revise and on the peer-review procedure.
Social events took place, including a communal light dinner, visits and evening concerts at the historical Terme Il Tettuccio, a World Heritage Site.
Publication. Expanded and revised versions of select Seminar papers will be submitted for publication in outlets associated with the IUS, including the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Urbanities-Journal of Urban Ethnography (https://www.anthrojournal-urbanities.com/).
This successful international academic endeavour gained local recognition.
