Konitsa, Greece

Anthropology, Ethnography and Comparative Folklore of the Balkans

when 21 July 2019 - 3 August 2019
language English
duration 2 weeks
fee EUR 250

The 14th Konitsa Summer School offers a full academic programme with an emphasis on theoretical, epistemological and methodological issues in Sociocultural Anthropology.
The School’s programme includes courses discussing the current political and economic conditions in SE Europe. The relationship between data gathering and data analysis and the writing of ethnography are discussed as intellectual, methodological and epistemological tools for the conduct of the fieldwork practice. A special ethnographic focus on environmental history and cultural ecology which explores issues related to the border area complements a rich and advanced curriculum.
This year's courses are:
1. New trends in economic anthropology
2. Environmental history and cultural ecology of the Mediterranean and the Balkans. The case of Pindus and the adjacent borderlands
3. Post-socialist Balkans
4. Doing Fieldwork: Theory, method and the production of anthropological knowledge
5. Ethnographic Research in Border Areas
The course "Ethnographic Research in Border Areas" is the core course, which explores the borders, border crossings and boundary construction processes in SE Europe.
The participants have a chance to conduct short fieldwork projects in three Balkan countries, participate in the BCN’s publication series, actively engage in local issues, and become acquainted with the border area. Various lecturers join their forces to teach providing an international aura and enhancing the School’s interdisciplinary character.
Professor James Carrier will be the invited speaker to deliver a lecture and a workshop.

Course leader

Prof. Vassilis Nitsiakos
Department of History and Archaeology
University of Ioannina, Greece

Target group

Eligible to apply are undergraduate, graduates, current MA students, MA graduates, PhD candidates of various disciplines and different social sciences

Course aim

• Acquaintance with SE Europe’s social reality
• Understanding the notion of borders and boundary construction processes
• Studying current social phenomena related to migration and cross-border movement
• Field trips and fieldwork experience in three different countries
• Development of intellectual and research skills
• Rich collaborative learning environment of a methodically interdisciplinary character
• International and multicultural atmosphere
• Two-day event of fieldwork results presentations
• Publication possibilities in the BCN’s series “Balkan Border Crossings: Proceedings from the Konitsa Summer School”
• Acquaintance with the Konitsa and the Greek-Albanian border area
• Engagement in local issues within the framework of applied Anthropology
• Networking
• Very convenient participation fee

Credits info

The Summer School program equates to 10 ECTS.
An official letter of confirmation that describes the modules and the research and other academic activities can be offered to the participants to testify their attendance.

Fee info

EUR 250: The participation fee covers accommodation, meals and travel expenses (for attending cultural events in the local area).