Are you wondering what questions the transition to post carbon-society raises for the social sciences? Are you working on a research project related to the topics of energopolitics, (de-) industrialization, and urban change? Are you interested in discussing the future of oil and coal with experts from academy and practice? The summer school “Post-Carbon Futures: Cities, Industries and Energies in Central Europe” takes you to the heartland of Germany’s coal extraction and chemical industry to explore the ramifications and prospects of the resource and energy transition in the making.
In cooperation with experienced international researchers from Anthropology, Human Geography, Sociology, and other disciplines, this summer school will focus on the futures of carbon industries and industrial cities as well as on the futures of energy production and consumption in the emerging post-carbon era. Participants will explore current academic debates on relevant topics and relate these approaches to ongoing economic and social transformations in the Central German Mining District. This region hosts a variety of (mostly still carbon-based) industries such as coal mines, electricity plants, and chemical factories and it is currently undergoing profound economic, environmental, and social transformations induced by Germany’s coal phase-out and energy transition, or Energiewende.
The summer school’s program combines academic lectures, discussions, and interaction with experts from politics, industry, and regional development as well as field trips to (post-)industrial sites and other sites of the energy transition. For instance, the participants will visit Europe’s biggest petrochemical plant in Leuna, coal mines in Profen, or trace historical and present urban-industrial entanglements in the city of Halle.
Application: The summer school addresses international PhD and MA students from Anthropology, Sociology, Human Geography, Political Science, and other disciplines. The course will be provided in English. The participation fee is 150 € per person. Accommodation and travel costs will be covered by the organizers. Participants can gain 3 ECTS points for taking part in the summer school.
NB! To apply, please send a motivation letter (300 words), a summary of your current or planned research project (300 words) and your CV to julia.kuehl@zirs.uni-halle.de till 31 of May.
For further questions please contact julia.kuehl@zirs.uni-halle.de
For further information click the link.
The summer school is organized by Asta Vonderau (Social and Cultural Anthropology, MLU Halle), Jonathan Everts (Human Geography, MLU Halle), Felix Ringel (Social Anthropology, University Durham), Siarhei Liubimau (Laboratory of Critical Urbanism and Department of Social Sciences, EHU) in cooperation with the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology and Centre for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies (ZIRS) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg; CityIndustries Research Network; Department of Anthropology at Durham University and Department of Social Sciences at the European Humanities University, as well as the Institut für Strukturwandel Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MIS).
The project is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).