RCT Summer School 2022
Common Everyday Practices in South Caucasus
Marneuli municipality, Georgia
September 5 – 11, 2022
Marneuli municipality, Georgia
September 5 – 11, 2022
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 04.08.2022, 23:59 CEST
The three nations situated in the South Caucasus share a common border, creating a joint physical multicultural setting for all three countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The border villages of Marneuli Municipality, located on the Georgian side, have traditionally been a place where Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis, as well as Greeks co-exist and co-inhabit a common territory. Social exchange and trade are good examples of everyday practices and encounters that happen in the villages across the boundaries of ethnic communities. Through interaction on a daily level, temporary and spontaneous common spaces emerge in these multi-ethnic borderlands.
The first edition of the RCT Summer School aims to explore such shared everyday practices and spaces in the border villages of Marneuli Municipality, using various methods, such as interviews, mappings, (video) recordings and so on. The results of the Summer School will be presented during the upcoming Tbilisi Architecture Biennial in October 2022, as well as in Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder) in November 2022.
Program design
Participants of the Summer School will be working during one week in groups of up to 7 people, conducting field research in one of the villages of Marneuli Municipality under the guidance of several mentors, coming from different professional backgrounds (e.g. documentary filmmaking, architecture, urban studies, anthropology, etc.). As a preparation for this fieldwork, in the third week of August the participants will also be offered online seminars and workshops, providing insights into various methodologies and the local regional context.
Location
Marneuli Municipality, being a Georgian region bordering Armenia and Azerbaijan, is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse places in the entire Caucasus region. While this is a relatively disadvantaged region in economic terms, it has a huge potential for development, which inevitably requires inclusive strategies for tackling common challenges across the ethnic and cultural boundaries.
With the ethnic majority constituted by Azerbaijanis (approx. 83%), Marneuli has a number of villages inhabited by Georgians, Armenians, and Greeks. The friendly coexistence of the local dwellers and unique cultural heritage are some of the factors that foster intercultural friendships and provide an excellent ground for the common work of artists and cultural activists.
Application
Who can apply
Students, young researchers and practitioners from various fields (ethnography, anthropology, urbanism, etc.), as well as journalists, artists, writers and any creative individuals from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Poland and France (up to 35 y/o) are encouraged to apply. Participation in the Summer School is free of charge.
Submission process
Applications can be submitted in English, Georgian, Russian or German languages. However, participation in the summer school requires the basic knowledge of English as this will be the main working language during the school’s activities (including all the preparatory seminars and workshops).
How to apply?
Applications can be filled out online. All related questions about the application and the Summer School should be directed to the following e-mail address: tinatin@dekabristen.org. Applicants will receive a confirmation of the receipt of submitted documents within 24 hours after the submission. In case you do not get the confirmation, please, resubmit the application once again.
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. The results will be communicated through email.
Submission opens: 14 July 2022
Submission closes: 4 August 2022, 23:59 CEST
Results: 12 August 2022
Accommodation & travel scholarships
Participants of the summer school will receive travel scholarships. Accommodation and meals will be provided by the organisers.
Thank you very much for your proposals. The application period is over. We will inform you about the results 12th of August via e-mail.
Contacts
Tinatin Gurgenidze
Tinatin Gurgenidze works between Tbilisi and Berlin. She is the manager of the project and the main organiser of the summer school. Tinatin is also a co-founder of the Tbilisi Architecture Biennial.
Kirill Repin
Kirill Repin works at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), being primarily involved in the organisation of the summer school Viadrinicum.
The Summer School “Researching Common Territories” is an international project realised by Dekabristen e.v. (DE), the European University Viadrina (DE), Tbilisi Architecture Biennial (GE), One Caucasus Festival (GE) and funded by the Federal Foreign Office in the framework of the Eastern Partnership program.