Our Blogs
See our latests blog posts below:
Latest Posts on the Gregynog Ideas Lab III Blog
- Registration 2022 open
Registration for Ideas Lab 2022 is now Open!
The registration for Gregynog Ideas Lab 2022 is now open. Please, follow the link below to register and pay, to secure your place! Places are limited!
This year, we have a flat rate of £650 including 5 days' full board accommodation (rooms on shared basis, three meals, tea and coffee breaks each day) and all the workshops and activities.
We look forward to seeing you!
Gregynog Ideas Lab team
Gregynog Ideas Lab Returns!
11-15 July, 2022
Gregynog Hall, Powys, Wales, UK
After a challenging couple of years of lockdown, we are really glad to announce that the Gregynog Ideas Lab is going ahead in person this year, and very soon we'll be launching all the details for you to book your places, should you wish/be able to join us. Please, see more details about the Ideas Lab, its beautiful location, and previous years' programmes, by exploring the respective tabs on this page. The details about this year's programme are coming soon!Guest Professors will include:Jenny Edkins (University of Manchester)Himadeep Muppidi (Vassar College)Erzsebet Strausz (Central European University)Angharad Closs Stephens (Swansea University)Catherine Charrett (University of Westminster)Andreja Zevnik (University of Manchester)Tim Edkins (Queen Mary, University of London)Martin Coward (University of Manchester)The dates for the Ideas lab will be from Monday 11th July to Friday 15th July. This year, we'll have a flat fee of £650 for everyone. There won't be any distinction between first timers and returning participants, but you'll notice that the flat rate is lower already, compared to previous years, i.e. comparable to the discounted rate, but for everyone. As in previous years, the fee includes accommodation (on shared basis), full board service (meals plus tea/coffee breaks a day), and the seminars and any other programmed activities.The link for the booking and payment will become active soon, and we'll share it with you along with further details, but we encourage you to plan for booking already, as places may fill up quickly!
**Due to technical issues current registration rates are not displayed correctly. If you are interested in joining us in July 2020 please email: gregynogideaslab@gmail.com and we will provide you with correct information and instructions on how to register.**- BOOKINGS FOR 2020 EDITION ARE NOW OPEN! 😀Gregynog Ideas Lab IX Summer School13-17 July 2020Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales, UKGregynog Ideas Lab blogspot.Gregynog Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity for graduate students and academics engaged in work in international politics from a range of critical, postcolonial, feminist, post-structural and psychoanalytic traditions to re-examine their work and meet others engaged in similar areas. It is located within the broad realm of international politics, critical methods and various interdisciplinary approaches. You can have a look at last year's program to get a sense of the diversity of some of the programmes and subjects discussed here.This year Gregynog Ideas Lab IX welcomes the following guest professors:Angharad Closs Stephens (tbc)Andrew DavisonJenny EdkinsHimadeep MuppidiMichael J ShapiroRobbie Shilliam (tbc)Erzsebet Strausz (tbc)Rob (R.B.J.) WalkerAndreja ZevnikThere are more to come in the New Year!In addition we will invite a couple of new professors to join us at Gregynog for a few days. This format adds diversity to the topics that are being discussed and enriches participants’ experience.The Gregynog Ideas Lab IX Summer School offers:- a wide range of seminars, workshops, one-on-one activities and consultations offered by leading scholars and creative practitioners- new opportunities to present and discuss your work- constructive feedback on your research- discussion sessions and other events focused on critical pedagogy- problem oriented panels and discussion groups (i.e. on publishing, fieldwork etc)- a friendly and engaged “network” of students, academics, and artistsThe Gregynog Ideas Lab is a residential summer school situated in the beautiful grounds of Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales. Please note that places are limited (30) and allocated on a first come first served basis. Thus we would advise you to consult our booking options (see our blogspot or booking form) and book fast. The registration fee covers your stay in Gregynog (4 days, full board), academic programmes and various other activities planned for the duration of the event. The only other expense you will have to cover is your travel to Gregynog.If you have any questions about the summer school and the bookings, please get in touch with us (Andreja and the organising team) on gregynogideaslab@gmail.com.What is unique about Gregynog?One of the strengths and mains sources of inspiration of the Ideas Lab is its international cohort of students and academics, providing a network of critical scholars who work on various facets of international politics. For students and junior faculty, sometimes being in the “critical” stream of your discipline means you might feel a bit alone at your institution. At Gregynog, you will meet other critically-minded people from across various institutions and geographic locations (such as the UK, USA, Sweden, Brazil, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary and many more). Every year the Ideas Lab brings together a group of people with whom you can establish lasting connections. You are likely to meet them again at workshops and conferences, making the ‘academic’ experience possibly less alienating and certainly more fun, which can help us re-engage with the purpose and potential of academic work and strengthen a sense of community.Prospective PhD students would further benefit from developing a ‘taste’ of PhD life and research. You can ask participants or professors concrete questions about their institutions, the particularities of their PhD programs, research cultures and departmental atmospheres, and of course find out about funding and other opportunities.For PhD students at all levels the Ideas Lab offers a platform to build a strong and lasting network that can accompany you on your PhD journey and open some doors later on in your career. The friendly and encouraging milieu of the summer school allows you to test your ideas, discover new research trajectories, resolve some of your PhD dilemmas, overcome writer’s block and what may appear to be the ‘irresolvable’ challenges of your research..For PhD students who are close to finishing this could be a productive (yet relaxing and inspiring) time to fine-tune their dissertation work and get an insight into the field of academia, learn of any upcoming positions and receive one-to-one advice on job applications.For early career academics Gregynog provides a stimulating environment where you can think, write, engage in discussions with like-minded peers and even start new collaborations. Our guest professors are happy to discuss matters relating to publishing and career development, and whatever might be important and relevant for you at your career stage.What to expect at Gregynog?The wide range of seminars, workshops, participant presentations and events are truly unique and intellectually stimulating. The various seminar streams offer the possibility for in-depth discussions of particular subject matters that change every year: last year, for example, seminar topics included feminist security studies, aesthetics and visuality in international politics, psychoanalysis and subjecthood, or critical pedagogy. In addition, Gregynog is committed to encouraging and showcasing alternative ways of engaging with international politics. For example, in the previous years the summer school hosted various performance pieces – such as a drag performance by Catherine Charrett (Queen Mary University London) on EU-Hamas relations, which was part of her PhD project, and a performed essay about academic debates on pornography by Lea Aigner, former MA student in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth. In the spirit of critical pedagogy, last year’s programme included the installation of an experimental learning space by Conor Heaney (Kent), Phil Gaydon (Warwick) and Erzsebet Strausz (Warwick), and at other occasions invited artists – such as Dolly Kershaw - joined us for special events. In this sense the Ideas Lab works as a ‘lab’ for participatory, innovative and transdisciplinary engagement with new and old ideas, and in this way, it seeks to open up different ways of approaching questions about international politics and its articulations. These special events tie in well with the workshop on storytelling and ongoing conversations about alternative ways of “writing”, which ask participants to consider how storytelling might be used in international politics, not only as source material, but also as a different way of doing, embodying and writing politics.Want to know more about what participants say?As Muriel writes,
‘For me, one of the key benefits of ‘Gregynog’ as a summer school is that it offers the opportunity for solid and constructive feedback. If you present during “participant presentation,” you will get a roomful of people who will give you thoughtful feedback and criticism, rather than the scant few questions that tend to come out of more traditional conference settings. In the words of one participant last year, the responses from the presentation was “feedback and a half.” Guest Professor surgeries also allow for in-depth discussion of projects, which I have been finding very helpful. They are akin to US office hours, where the GPs sit each at a table, and the participants can come to ask any sort of question. These questions can be extremely specific (‘How do I deal with the scenography of objects in an ethnographic museum?’) or relate to much broader topics (in fact, they don't even have to be formulated as questions!) Informal conversations outside of seminars and scheduled activities allow you to delve further into subjects brought up during sessions or surgeries. These might happen around a glass of wine late into the night, or on early morning walks around the estate.’
** Please note that the deadline for Early Bird registration fee is March 1 2019.**
We all hope you will be able to join us at Gregynog. If you have any questions please email us on: gregynogideaslab@gmail.com
Thanks.
Your Gregynog VIII Organising Team
Gregynog Ideas Lab VIII Summer School8-13 July 2019Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales, UKGregynog Ideas Lab blogspot.------------------------Gregynog Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity for graduate students and academics engaged in work in international politics from a range of critical, postcolonial, feminist, post-structural and psychoanalytic traditions to re-examine their work and meet others engaged in similar areas. It is located within the broad realm of international politics, critical methods and various interdisciplinary approaches. You can have a look at last year's program to get a sense of the diversity of some of the programmes and subjects discussed here.This year Gregynog Ideas Lab VII welcomes back the following guest professors from previous years: Andrew Davison, Jenny Edkins, Himadeep Muppidi, Erzsebet Strausz, Rob (R.B.J.) Walker and Andreja Zevnik as well as a few new faces Angharad Closs Stephens and Akanksha Mehta. There are more to come!In addition this year we will invite a couple of new professors to join us at Gregynog for a few days. We introduce this format two years ago when we invited Martin Coward, Elena Barabantseva, Michael Dillon, Yvonne Rinkhart and Andrew Russell. The format worked very well hence we decided to continue with it this year.The Gregynog Ideas Lab VI Summer School offers:- a wide range of seminars, workshops, one-on-one activities and consultations offered by leading scholars and creative practitioners- new opportunities to present and discuss your work- constructive feedback on your research- discussion sessions and other events focused on critical pedagogy- problem oriented panels and discussion groups (i.e. on publishing, fieldwork etc)- a friendly and engaged “network” of students, academics, and artistsThe Gregynog Ideas Lab is a residential summer school situated in the beautiful grounds of Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales. Please note that places are limited (30) and allocated on a first come first served basis. Thus we would advise you to consult our booking options (see our blogspot or booking form) and book fast. The registration fee covers your stay in Gregynog (5 days, full board), academic programmes and various other activities planned for the duration of the event. The only other expense you will have to cover is your travel to Gregynog.- BOOKING FOR 2019 ARE NOW OPEN.Gregynog Ideas Lab VIII Summer School8-13 July 2019Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales, UKGregynog Ideas Lab blogspot.------------------------Gregynog Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity for graduate students and academics engaged in work in international politics from a range of critical, postcolonial, feminist, post-structural and psychoanalytic traditions to re-examine their work and meet others engaged in similar areas. It is located within the broad realm of international politics, critical methods and various interdisciplinary approaches. You can have a look at last year's program to get a sense of the diversity of some of the programmes and subjects discussed here.This year Gregynog Ideas Lab VII welcomes back the following guest professors from previous years: Andrew Davison, Jenny Edkins, Himadeep Muppidi, Erzsebet Strausz, Rob (R.B.J.) Walker and Andreja Zevnik as well as a few new faces Angharad Closs Stephens and Akanksha Mehta. There are more to come!In addition this year we will invite a couple of new professors to join us at Gregynog for a few days. We introduce this format two years ago when we invited Martin Coward, Elena Barabantseva, Michael Dillon, Yvonne Rinkhart and Andrew Russell. The format worked very well hence we decided to continue with it this year.The Gregynog Ideas Lab VI Summer School offers:- a wide range of seminars, workshops, one-on-one activities and consultations offered by leading scholars and creative practitioners- new opportunities to present and discuss your work- constructive feedback on your research- discussion sessions and other events focused on critical pedagogy- problem oriented panels and discussion groups (i.e. on publishing, fieldwork etc)- a friendly and engaged “network” of students, academics, and artistsThe Gregynog Ideas Lab is a residential summer school situated in the beautiful grounds of Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales. Please note that places are limited (30) and allocated on a first come first served basis. Thus we would advise you to consult our booking options (see our blogspot or booking form) and book fast. The registration fee covers your stay in Gregynog (5 days, full board), academic programmes and various other activities planned for the duration of the event. The only other expense you will have to cover is your travel to Gregynog.
If you have any questions about the summer school and the bookings, please get in touch with us (Andreja and the organising team) on gregynogideaslab@gmail.com. - Bookings for 2019 Gregynog Ideas Lab will open soon.
Bookings for 8th iteration of the Gregynog Ideas Summer School (July 8 - 13 2018) are to open very soon. Stay tuned for the announcements on Guest Professors, seminars and other activities.
- Bookings for Gregynog 2018 are NOW OPEN!Gregynog Ideas Lab VII Summer School8-13 July 2018Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales, UK------------------------Gregynog Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity for graduate students and academics engaged in work in international politics from a range of critical, postcolonial, feminist, post-structural and psychoanalytic traditions to re-examine their work and meet others engaged in similar areas. It is located within the broad realm of international politics, critical methods and various interdisciplinary approaches. You can have a look at last year's program to get a sense of the diversity of some of the programmes and subjects discussed here.This year Gregynog Ideas Lab VII welcomes back the following guest professors from previous years: Andrew Davison, Jenny Edkins, Himadeep Muppidi, Erzsebet Strausz, Rob (R.B.J.) Walker and Andreja Zevnik. There are more to come!In addition this year we will invite a couple of new professors to join us at Gregynog for a few days. We introduce this format last year when we invited Martin Coward, Yvonne Rinkhart and Andrew Russell. The format worked very well hence we decided to continue with it this year.The Gregynog Ideas Lab VI Summer School offers:- a wide range of seminars, workshops, one-on-one activities and consultations offered by leading scholars and creative practitioners- new opportunities to present and discuss your work- constructive feedback on your research- discussion sessions and other events focused on critical pedagogy- problem oriented panels and discussion groups (i.e. on publishing, fieldwork etc)- a friendly and engaged “network” of students, academics, and artistsThe Gregynog Ideas Lab is a residential summer school situated in the beautiful grounds of Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales. Please note that places are limited (30) and allocated on a first come first served basis. Thus we would advise you to consult our booking options (see our blogspot or booking form) and book fast. The registration fee covers your stay in Gregynog (5 days, full board), academic programmes and various other activities planned for the duration of the event. The only other expense you will have to cover is your travel to Gregynog.If you have any questions about the summer school and the bookings, please get in touch with us (Andreja or Erzsebet) on gregynogideaslab@gmail.com. Also feel free to email Muriel at muriel.bruttin@unil.ch if you would like to hear more about the participants’ experience. Muriel has been a participant to the past two editions and would be happy to share more of her experience.What is unique about Gregynog?One of the strengths and mains sources of inspiration of the Ideas Lab is its international cohort of students and academics, providing a network of critical scholars who work on various facets of international politics. For students and junior faculty, sometimes being in the “critical” stream of your discipline means you might feel a bit alone at your institution. At Gregynog, you will meet other critically-minded people from across various institutions and geographic locations (such as the UK, USA, Sweden, Brazil, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary and many more). Every year the Ideas Lab brings together a group of people with whom you can establish lasting connections. You are likely to meet them again at workshops and conferences, making the ‘academic’ experience possibly less alienating and certainly more fun, which can help us re-engage with the purpose and potential of academic work and strengthen a sense of community.Prospective PhD students would further benefit from developing a ‘taste’ of PhD life and research. You can ask participants or professors concrete questions about their institutions, the particularities of their PhD programs, research cultures and departmental atmospheres, and of course find out about funding and other opportunities.For PhD students at all levels the Ideas Lab offers a platform to build a strong and lasting network that can accompany you on your PhD journey and open some doors later on in your career. The friendly and encouraging milieu of the summer school allows you to test your ideas, discover new research trajectories, resolve some of your PhD dilemmas, overcome writer’s block and what may appear to be the ‘irresolvable’ challenges of your research..For PhD students who are close to finishing this could be a productive (yet relaxing and inspiring) time to fine-tune their dissertation work and get an insight into the field of academia, learn of any upcoming positions and receive one-to-one advice on job applications.For early career academics Gregynog provides a stimulating environment where you can think, write, engage in discussions with like-minded peers and even start new collaborations. Our guest professors are happy to discuss matters relating to publishing and career development, and whatever might be important and relevant for you at your career stage.What to expect at Gregynog?The wide range of seminars, workshops, participant presentations and events are truly unique and intellectually stimulating. The various seminar streams offer the possibility for in-depth discussions of particular subject matters that change every year: last year, for example, seminar topics included feminist security studies, aesthetics and visuality in international politics, psychoanalysis and subjecthood, or critical pedagogy. In addition, Gregynog is committed to encouraging and showcasing alternative ways of engaging with international politics. For example, in the previous years the summer school hosted various performance pieces – such as a drag performance by Catherine Charrett (Queen Mary University London) on EU-Hamas relations, which was part of her PhD project, and a performed essay about academic debates on pornography by Lea Aigner, former MA student in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth. In the spirit of critical pedagogy, last year’s programme included the installation of an experimental learning space by Conor Heaney (Kent), Phil Gaydon (Warwick) and Erzsebet Strausz (Warwick), and at other occasions invited artists – such as Dolly Kershaw - joined us for special events. In this sense the Ideas Lab works as a ‘lab’ for participatory, innovative and transdisciplinary engagement with new and old ideas, and in this way, it seeks to open up different ways of approaching questions about international politics and its articulations. These special events tie in well with the workshop on storytelling and ongoing conversations about alternative ways of “writing”, which ask participants to consider how storytelling might be used in international politics, not only as source material, but also as a different way of doing, embodying and writing politics.Want to know more about what participants say?As Muriel writes,‘For me, one of the key benefits of ‘Gregynog’ as a summer school is that it offers the opportunity for solid and constructive feedback. If you present during “participant presentation,” you will get a roomful of people who will give you thoughtful feedback and criticism, rather than the scant few questions that tend to come out of more traditional conference settings. In the words of one participant last year, the responses from the presentation was “feedback and a half.” Guest Professor surgeries also allow for in-depth discussion of projects, which I have been finding very helpful. They are akin to US office hours, where the GPs sit each at a table, and the participants can come to ask any sort of question. These questions can be extremely specific (‘How do I deal with the scenography of objects in an ethnographic museum?’) or relate to much broader topics (in fact, they don't even have to be formulated as questions!) Informal conversations outside of seminars and scheduled activities allow you to delve further into subjects brought up during sessions or surgeries. These might happen around a glass of wine late into the night, or on early morning walks around the estate.’
- We are delighted to announce that full details of the guest professor seminars are now available through the link to the right.There is an exciting choice of topics. Each seminar comprises two (Stream A) or three (Stream B and C) one-and-a-half hour sessions. The seminars run in three steams and participants choose one seminar from each stream:Stream A:Affirmative Ontologies (Erzsebet Strausz)Dismantling the World: race, resistance, psychoanalysis (Andreja Zevnik)Stream B:The End of the International: spectres, ruins, nostalgia (Tom Lundborg)Sovereignties: both Schmitt and Hayek (R. B. J. Walker)Personhood and Politics (Jenny Edkins)Stream C:Catastriphic, Sublime, and Ludic Events (Michael J Shapiro)Poetics and Political Inquiry (Andrew Davison)Amateur Diplomatic Fragments and Letters (Sam Okoth Opondo)In addition to these seminars, we have a plenary seminar - a completely new activity on this year’s schedule – led by Martin Coward. Martin will explore questions surrounding visual geopolitics. Then there are three plenary workshops. The first, led by Himadeep Muppidi, entitled ‘Worlding the postcolonial’, follows on from the wonderful storytelling workshop he led for the past couple of years. The second is another continuation of a very successful venture from last year —a pedagogy and research practice workshop led by Phil Gaydon, Erzsebet Strausz and Yvonne Rinkart. This workshop takes place over two plenary sessions in the Music Room on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon/evening and finally a career development workshop let by Andrew Russell and Andreja Zevnik on Friday afternoon.Other activities include research surgeries with guest professors, sessions organised by participants, roundtables, a barbecue, and hopefully a yoga session to counterbalance all that thinking. There will be free time too, to enjoy walks and conversation in the beautiful surroundings at Gregynog.Any queries, contact us on gregynogideaslab@gmail.com.Looking forward to seeing you in July!
Andreja and Erzsebet.
Gregynog Ideas Lab VI Summer School(10-15 July 2017, Newtown, Mid Wales, UK)LAST OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER – ONLY A FEW PLACES REMAINING!Activities** Join seminars, classes and individual discussion sessions with our 2017 Guest Professors:Andrew Davison (Vassar), Jenny Edkins (Aberystwyth), Tom Lundborg (Swedish Institute of International Affairs), Himadeep Muppidi (Vassar), Sam Okoth Opondo (Vassar), Michael J Shapiro (Hawaii), Erzsebet Strausz (Warwick), Rob Walker (Victoria) and Andreja Zevnik (Manchester).** NEW Take part in an interactive discussion on critical and visual geopolitics with our NEW Visiting ProfessorMartin Coward (University of Manchester)** NEW Participate in a critical pedagogy session with Phil Gaydon (Warwick IATL) and Erzsebet Strausz** NEW Learn more about peer-review and publishing your work with Routledge.** Explore the poetics of politics in narrative politics/story-telling sessions.** Share your research and receive feedback on ongoing projects and ideas of any stage at participant workshops.** NEW Relax in the lovely green environment of Gregynog Hall and in professionally led yoga sessions.The Gregynog Ideas Lab VI Summer School is taking place between 10-15 July 2017 in Newtown, Wales, UK. Set up in 2012, the Gregynog Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity for graduate students and academics working in international politics from a range of critical, postcolonial, feminist, post-structural and psychoanalytic traditions to re-examine their own work and meet new people in an open space for thinking and generating new ideas. It offers guest professor seminars, round table discussions, methodology workshops, artist talks and one-to-one tutorials with guest professors. For more information, please see the documents attached.
To book your place go to: http://estore.manchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/school-of-social-sciences/gregynog-ideas-vi-summer-school/gregynog-ideas-vi-summer-school
For more information about the Ideas Lab, visit our blog at http://gregynog.blogspot.co.uk/ , join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/675435315871900/ or email the organisers, Andreja Zevnik and Erzsebet Strausz on gregynogideaslab@gmail.com.
If you would like to hear more about what it is like to attend the summer school from a participant’s point of view, please feel free to email Muriel at muriel.bruttin@unil.ch, who would be happy to share her experience.