Empower people to demand public research on their own concerns

A summer school in the Basque Country by Biharamunen lantegia / Atelier des Jours à Venir to practice radical forms of citizen science

Foreword :

Feminist and decolonial epistemologies have generated growing attention by shcolars in many countries. These epistemologies provide explanations about the epistemic gains generated when performing research with a feminist standpoint and / or decolonial approaches (Haraway, 1988 ; Harding 2015). Radical citizen science echoes this line of thought and provides opportunity to put these epistemologies into practice (Godrie B, 2022).
Many summer schools propose an in-depth understanding of these espistemologies. On our side we propose to discover practical approaches to doing research with and for local communities, and how this type of action is a way to enact these epistemologies, to which extent, considering the numerous obstacles we may encounter.
The training will be rooted into a decade of action performed by Atelier des Jours à Venir / Biharamunen lantegia in the Basque Country, Catalunya, France and Portugal. Trainers will also share how their past experiences of action in the Middle East and the region of former Yougoslavia have generated the motivations for this type of extrem citizen science projects (Hacklay M, 2013).

Purpose and setting

A maximum of 12 participants to allow for high quality of dialogue
Share the values and methodologies developped by our cooperative with PhD students, scientists or people who have been trained in sciences (humanities and natural sciences) from all over Europe.
We propose this as a “summer school” while we have no formal agreement with any university to provide official credits (ECTS). We will still provide a certificate of attendance for 20 hours of tuitions.

Language :

Ethics :

One nonmixed / chosen mix session will be proposed
Participants travel only by land transport (train / bus / car sharing). We will refuse participants arriving via plane due to the climatic impact this would have.
Variable price depending on possibility of financial support by universities or any other kind of affiliation.
Get to know something about our territory, Euskal Herria / Basque Country, the issues it is facing, how participatory research may provide a little contribution.
Revenue from the summer school will help Atelier des Jours à Venir / Biharamunen lantegia to start projects with communities with radical issues, that are difficult to get funded

Tuition :

20h over 3 days in Bidart, Izarbel campus (here)
pricing (TTC) – each participant choses a pricing.
- solidarity pricing : 200€ (3 participants max)
- reduced pricing : 400€ (3 participants max)
- normal pricing : 600€ (“unlimited” category of participants, as long as no more than 12 in total)
- supportive pricing : 800€ (“unlimited” category of participants, as long as no more than 12 in total)

Food and accomodation (not included) :

We can recommend accommodation in Bidart
- hotels : Hôtel Elissaldia, Hôtel de l’Uhabia, Hôtel Olatua
- campistes, in the surroundings, easily accessible : Berrua, Ur Onea
lunches / diners
- a students’ cafeteria is available on the campus, but also foodtrucks & other snacking places
- in Bidart, various snacking places, restaurants, etc.
transportation Bidart centre to / from campus, urban buses 1€ / ride (lines 3 and 21 of Txik Txak network). Transportation available until midnight to/from Bayonne, Biarritz, St Jean de Luz for excursions and nightlife.

Program : Wednesday 24^th – Friday 26^th of September

day 0 : Tuesday 23^rd of September : afternoon / evening : arrivals
day 1 : Wednesday 24^th of September
- morning : introduction to theoretical feminist and decolonial epistemology and the following challenge of putting it into practice
- afternoon : experiencing methodologies to let new research questions emerge within communities
day 2 : Thursday 25^th of September
- morning :
  - non mixed a/ : sharing what we currently experience with two projects, one about menstruations, one about endometriosis
  - non mixed b/ : critical approach of your own gender based priviledges
- afternoon : sharing methodologies about how to approach sensible, marginalized and discriminated communities
day 3 : Friday 26^th of September
- morning : exercising to engage as a member of a sensitive community
- afternoon : individual tutoring to set up a possible action when participants go back home.
day 4 : Saturday 27^th of September : morning, departures

Registration by June 30^th latest