Developing transdisciplinary research capacities to advance the SE field in the face of multidimensional crises
Exploring the different facets of the social and solidarity economy and social innovation
Rationale
While increasing inequalities, the ecological-social (henceforth, eco-social) crisis has laid the foundations for a purposeful reaction of civil society. In both the global North and South, the aims pursued by active groups of citizens range significantly from supporting a process of social change through a human rights-based approach up to the overturning of mainstream production and consumption patterns through cooperative ownership structures that draw on the active participation of the concerned stakeholders.
The factors triggering a renewed mobilisation of youths, activist groups and local communities are diverse and include among others, the transformation of work, the refugee and asylum challenge, the environmental crisis and the recent pandemic.
Among the most innovative responses looking for solutions for emerging social and societal problems is the development of social and solidarity economy organisations (SSE)[1], including social enterprises, that have pro-actively contributed to the design of innovative services and inclusion pathways empowering beneficiaries and the broader community.
The Training School will nevertheless welcome contributions related to the broader “SE field”, which refers to the wide domain of social enterprise, social economy, solidarity economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation.
Against the background of shaping the SE field as a critical research theme, the 9th edition of the EMES Training School will bridge diverse research streams and disciplinary approaches.
Particular attention will be paid to both new ways to approach multiple and interrelated problems that are being adopted by a growing number of researchers and innovative methodologies, such as multi-level analytical frameworks, developed, for instance, by the transition studies, systemic (or eco-systemic) approaches and participatory action research, which is employed for open-result-research with a view to generate beneficial transformations at a time of profound socio-economic transformations. The Training School will facilitate interactions with practitioners through dedicated workshops and site visits, encouraging the adoption of a transdisciplinary research approach.
[1] The social and solidarity economy as a concept is here used to include: traditional forms of cooperatives and mutual associations, as well as women’s self-help groups, community forestry groups, social provisioning organisations or ‘proximity services’, fair trade organizations, associations of informal sector workers, social enterprises, and community currency and alternative finance schemes (UN-Interagency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy – UNTFSSE).
EMES Training Schools
The 9th EMES International Training School (#9EMEStrainingschool) aims to reinforce knowledge about the SE field and its still to be harnessed potential in a multiple crises context distinguished by systemic transformations. There have been eight successful editions of the EMES Training Schools so far held at the University of Corsica (France) in 2008; Roskilde University (Denmark) in 2010, the University of Trento (Italy) in 2012; West University of Timișoara (Romania) in 2014; Glasgow Caledonian University in Glasgow (UK) in 2016; Aix-Marseille University in Marseille (France) in 2018; in a blended learning format led by University College Cork (Ireland) online in 2020 and face-to-face in Teruel in 2021; and Seville (Spain) in 2022. The ninth edition will be held at the University of Trento (Italy) in June-July 2024.
Some 350 PhD candidates and early career researchers (ERC) from over 45 countries have so far participated in these unique learning events. PhDs and ERC constitute a central part of EMES, as shown by the special membership category for PhD students, the seat reserved for PhD students in the EMES Board of Directors, and various dedicated concrete activities.
PhD candidates and ERC coming from different disciplinary backgrounds (such as sociology, management, economics, political sciences, and so on) whose research projects are connected to this field are welcome to apply for this training school. Individual research projects can target different forms of collective action, including social movements, informal grassroots initiatives, and SSE organisations, as well as the context wherein collective initiatives and organisations are embedded (social, political, economic or cultural backgrounds).
EMES, EURICSE and the University of Trento (Unitn) jointly organize the 9th EMES Training School aimed at researchers at early career levels, PhDs or completing Masters program who are attracted to conduct research in the wide fields of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise, social economy and solidarity economy (the SE field). Moreover, this edition counts on the support of the European Social Innovation Campus (ESIC) project under the Erasmus Plus Blueprint program. With this training school, EMES, EURICSE, Unitn and ESIC aim to:
- Strengthen the training of PhD students by means of methodological and theoretical lectures, debates, and professional workshops;
- Emphasise the research design and methodology involved in any research project, specifically in a doctoral and early-career path;
- Provide personalised feedback and support via well-supported small group discussion sessions on participants’ research projects, their research questions, approaches and theoretical understandings; more precisely, in addition to various opportunities for informal discussion, at least a full hour will be devoted to every student’s research project within group sessions (for presentation by the student, feed-back by professors and their peers, discussion and synthesis of recommendations);
- Provide space for social and intellectual discussion so that doctoral students and ECR will have ample opportunity to establish and expand their own peer networks and benefit from contacts and feedback from established scholars;
- Encourage the engagement of a broad and diverse range of participants, including key actors (e.g., academics, policymakers, practitioners) at the local, national and EU levels. Exchanges with researchers from different countries, continents, cultures and academic disciplines will support stimulating reflections on research approaches, while discussions with practitioners in the field will expose participants to a first-hand experience that expands their capacity to address real-life problems in a context of increased complexity.
Important dates
- Launch of the call for applications: 29th November 2023
- Application submission deadline: 15th February 2024
- Results of the selection process: 14th March 2024
- Opening of registration platform: 14th March 2024
- Registration deadline: 16th May 2024
- Arrival of participants: 30th June 2024
Venue and Accommodation
All the academic activities of the 9th International Training School will take place at the University of Trento (Facoltà di Economia, https://www.economia.unitn.it/; and Facoltà di Giurisprudenza, https://www.giurisprudenza.unitn.it/) in via Inama, 5, 38122 Trento.
The accommodation is provided ONLY for PhD participants who will be staying at the “Ostello di Trento” (Via Torre Vanga, 11, 38122 Trento).
More information on how to reach the Training School venue and suggested accommodation can be found in the Practical information document (on the principal page).
