Het verhaal van De Wilde Wereld

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Judith Rommens deed haar thesis onderzoek naar de invloed van materiële en sociale aspecten in collectief wonen door de tijd heen

Collectief wonen wordt steeds populairder en biedt aanzienlijke voordelen als oplossing voor hedendaagse huisvestingsproblemen en als inspiratiebron voor maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen. Hoewel onderzoek vaak gericht is op de pragmatische en innovatieve aspecten van collectief wonen, ontbreekt het aan diepgaand onderzoek naar de langetermijnontwikkeling van een collectief woonhuis en de interacties tussen het huis en zijn bewoners. Deze thesis verkent hoe materiële en sociale aspecten de ontwikkeling van een collectief woonhuis en de bewoners door de tijd heen beïnvloeden. Om de onderzoeksvraag te beantwoorden, heb ik een huisbiografie van een collectief woonhuis geschreven op basis van archiefonderzoek, auto-etnografie en interviews met (oud) bewoners en betrokkenen. De Wilde Wereld dat al sinds 1986 bewoond wordt en verschillende generaties bewoners heeft gekend, is als casestudy genomen.

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SWIFT Project: Strengthening Gender and Diversity in Agriculture

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Last November, the SWIFT consortium gathered in Geneva for an inspiring and thought-provoking mid-term meeting. Over four days, researchers, farmers, and activists came together to share progress, exchange ideas, and discuss the future of gender and diversity in agriculture. From immersive discussions at Ferme du Lignon to policy debates at the Geneva Graduate Institute, the event highlighted the importance of feminist and queer perspectives in shaping agricultural policies.

Key topics included:
– Building feminist viability indicators with women farmers
– Participatory video-making for agroecological storytelling
– Gendered analysis of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy
– Strengthening visibility and rights of LGBTQIA+ farmers

Georgia Diamanti and Clara Lina Bader have captured these moments beautifully in their reflections, from engaging panels to farm visits that demonstrated alternative models of agriculture in action. Read their insights on the challenges and opportunities ahead for gender justice in food and farming!

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What is the power of citizenship?

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Elective evening course: Major Works in Social Sciences (RSO59030)

What is citizenship? Why does it matter? How does it help us understand power in society?
Citizenship serves on one hand, as an apparatus of governance—a mechanism through which power is exercised via institutions, policies, and practices that determine the conditions under which rights are granted or withheld. On the other hand, citizenship is also a tool for empowerment, enabling individuals and groups to claim rights and, on that basis, drive political, social, and environmental change. But how does this process work in practice? And why is it particularly relevant for students aiming to address pressing crises in the environment, ecology, and food systems?

In this elective course we will read and discuss a book that outlines a critical theory of citizenship, with an emphasis on how citizenship institutes power relations and organizes different rights and obligations.

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Smallholder farming in Western Bahia, Brazil

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Álvaro Schwartz Micheletti

In my MSc thesis, I studied smallholder farming in Western Bahia, a region marked by the expansion of intensive soy production in the Brazilian Northeast. As a part of the area known as MATOPIBA (standing for the parts of the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia covered by the cerrado savannah), Western Bahia has been a crucial space for Brazilian agribusiness development since the 1980s, as it offered abundant land with unclear land titling and high agronomic potential.

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Spring School | Rethink. Reimagine. Reclaim.

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𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 the way citizenship shapes our agricultural and food systems. Engage with critical debates on justice, fairness, and the democratization of food provisioning.

𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 agriculture through the lens of agrarian and food citizenship. Explore how individuals and movements challenge existing systems and build equitable alternatives.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 agency in shaping the future of food and agriculture. Learn how acts of citizenship drive meaningful change toward fairer and more inclusive systems.

Join us in this graduate course, 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗔 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀 (May 19–23, 2025). Participate in seminars, workshops, and excursions led by leading scholars like Engin Isin and Cristina Grasseni, and contribute to envisioning just and sustainable futures.

More information and registration.