"This has challenged the assumptions I had about knowledge production, power, and authority in research. I have been reminded that research is never neutral, especially in contexts marked by conflict, where the framing of narratives matters significantly. This has transformed the way I approach my work," says PhD candidate Pamela Chemelil from our Hungarian EDUC partner, the University of Pécs.
She is one of 27 participants in the EDUC Blended Research Summer School: Critical Methodologies (courses.educalliance.eu).
This program is tailored for master's and PhD candidates and is rooted in critical, decolonial, and participatory perspectives to discuss methods in practice, focusing on the decolonization of research and alternative ways of thinking.
Hands-on research experiences
From June 2 to June 6, 2025, the in-person component of the summer school was held at Drammen campus.
Before meeting in person, participants engaged in a series of digital lectures and seminars, laying the groundwork for exploring innovative research methodologies.
During the week in Drammen, students gained hands-on research experience and have the opportunity to present their own research in seminars. The program also included participatory, decolonial, and multisensory workshops.
Crossing structural, physical, and disciplinary boundaries
"Throughout the course, participants delve into methodologies that foster dialogue across structural, physical, and disciplinary boundaries. The goal is to challenge binary thinking and encourage participants to learn, unlearn, and think differently," explains Associate Professor Gabriela Mezzanotti.
She coordinated the summer school alongside Associate Professor Åsne Håndlykken-Luz. Both researchers work within feminist theory and perspectives, focusing on gender, equality, and social justice issues.
Håndlykken-Luz is also head of USN's strategic research area Democracy, Social Organisation and Governance (DSS), which collaborated on several of the workshops and sessions with a focus on citizen involvement, co-creation, global societal challenges, and mission-based research. One of these workshops had the theme Higher Education in Times of War: Critical Views from Palestine and Ukraine, and contributes to mission work and the development of themes for new research projects.
Critical perspectives on the politics of knowledge
"Incorporating perspectives from the Global South and decolonial approaches involves a dialogue and critical examination of the politics of knowledge and research methodologies in various contexts worldwide. We critically reflect on the politics and ethics of knowledge production, research design and impact, inequalities, power relations, coloniality, intersectionality, positionality, reflexivity, as well as the unforeseen and failures in research," explains Håndlykken-Luz.
The two coordinators have collaborated with EDUC colleagues from Université Paris Nanterre (France) and Universitat Jaume I (Spain) to establish this unique program.
Lecturers in the summer school:
- Dr. Åsne Håndlykken-Luz (USN)
- Dr. Gabriela Mezzanotti (USN)
- Dr. Lars Frers (USN)
- Dr. Kjetil Klette-Bøhler (USN)
- Dr. Ole Jakob Løland (USN)
- Dr. Andreea Gruev-Vintila (UJI)
- Dr. Sofía Herrero Rico (UJI)
- Dr. Sonia París Albert (UJI)
- Dr. Claudia Dell'Uomo d'Arme (UPN)
