Join us for the first summer school of the Leibniz ScienceCampus “Resiliencies: Comparing and Integrating Methodologies, Methods, Narratives, and Theories – Mainz/Trier (RECOMENT)”, devoted to the topic of resilient humanscapes. Aimed at postgraduate students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers, the summer school invites participants to explore how resiliencies emerge, are negotiated, and become observable in the entanglements of human societies with their cultural, environmental, and historical contexts. Drawing on the interdisciplinary expertise of the Leibniz ScienceCampus in resilience studies, the concept of the humanscape – which underscores the mutual shaping of humans and their surrounding spaces – will serve as the lens through which participants gain insight into, and have the opportunity to contribute to the current interdisciplinary debates on resiliencies. Through this lens, participants will broaden their perspectives on how resilience narratives evolve across time and space. They will also acquire practical tools to analyse these dynamics from multiple methodological and theoretical perspectives.
The programme is organised around thematic clusters – communities and societies, spaces of the Anthropocene, urban resiliencies, and landscapes of conflict and violence. These clusters complement and enrich approaches to resilience studies in archaeology, geography, and history by expanding their analytical potential through interdisciplinary engagement with the other fields within the ScienceCampus. This engagement will also extend beyond the Campus to the behavioural sciences, environmental studies, and the sociologies of space. The programme will involve a combination of lectures, discussion sessions, workshops, and excursions. A central element of the programme will be an introduction to the method of Deep Mapping, combined with practical training in its use as a participatory tool for mapping resilience narratives, during which participants will develop their own mapping. In Work-in-Progress and discussion sessions, participants will have the opportunity to share their own ideas and written work with the group and receive supportive feedback.
Learning Objectives
By participating in the summer school, participants will ...
… gain familiarity with core concepts, narratives, and methodological approaches in resilience studies
… engage in interdisciplinary exchange and learn from other disciplinary perspectives
… take away insights and outputs on humanscapes
… learn and apply Deep Mapping as a participatory research method
Speakers
Participants can look forward to engaging talks by the following RECOMENT members:
Alexandra W. Busch (Director General, Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie, Mainz; Professor of Roman Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Veronika Cummings (Professor for Human Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Dominik Maschek (Head of the Department of Roman Archaeology, Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie, Mainz; Professor of Roman Archaeology, Trier University)
Judith Maria Poersch (Research Assistant, Institute of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Thomas Rigotti (Research Group Leader, Leibniz-Institute for Resilience Research; Professor for Organizational and Business Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Alexander Sarantis (Senior Researcher, Department of Early History and Byzantine Studies, Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie, Mainz)
Stefan Schreiber (Senior Researcher, Research Unit for Theoretical Archaeology, Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie, Mainz)
Heike Spaderna (Professor in Health Psychology, Trier University)
Karim Zafer (Research Assistant, Department of Sociology/Ethnology, Trier University)
Further Programme Highlights
Evening lecture and workshop with Lee Mordechai (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Guided city walk through Mainz
Excursion to the Vulkaneifel
The two excursions will involve exploring archaeological sites and landscapes which illustrate the resilience of humans in their responses to warfare, political change, natural disasters, and environmental change.
Applicant Commitment
As a participant in the summer school, you will have the opportunity to actively contribute to the RECOMENT research programme. We therefore consider you part of this collaborative effort and ask you…
… to complete all assigned preparatory tasks and readings in advance
… to participate actively and to contribute your ideas to the presentation and discussion sessions
… to engage actively in the workshop by developing your own mapping
… to participate in constructive feedback and exchange with mentors and fellow participants
Participation and how to apply
The summer school is open to postgraduate students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers in the humanities, cultural, and social sciences with a research focus related to resilience. Participants must be associated with an academic institution (university, non-university research institution). The lectures and discussions will be held in English.
Interested candidates apply for a fully funded partipication slot. Accommodation, attendance of all lectures and workshops, coffee breaks, the excursions, and the evening lecture followed by a reception will be covered. Accommodation will be provided for participants from outside Mainz. Travel costs are excluded from funding.
Applicants are asked to submit a single document (no more than two pages) that includes:
a cover letter, including a statement of motivation outlining your proposed thematic contribution to the summer school, and what you hope to learn;
a short CV.
Kindly send your application to SummerSchool2026(at)lwc-recoment.de.
The application deadline is May 15th, 2026.
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process in early June 2026. Upon notification of acceptance into the programme, a binding confirmation of participation will be requested.
Further informations: https://www.lwc-recoment.de/veranstaltungen/internationales-summer-school-programm/summer-school-mainz-2026