Summer School

The Ocean’s Lab Summer Field Schools entail collaborative research and learning in port cities and on boats, guest lectures, and field trips that aim to teach undergraduate and graduate students interdisciplinary and transregional research methodologies.

Maritime Radicalism Graduate Summer School The 2023 Oceans Lab Graduate Summer School was a collaborative effort between The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, L'Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza,” and Columbia University. This week-long workshop explored the social anthropology of maritime radicalism across multiple maritime spaces from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean through seminars on board the sailing vessel Raj, which has a history of hosting academic events. Professors Jatin Dua, Matteo Aria, Mara Benadusi, and Naor Ben-Yehoyada led discussions on pre-circulated papers submitted by the graduate student participants. A central framing of this seminar was to think through the possibilities of thinking about the sea at sea. To that end, a seminar onboard the Raj provided a unique academic experience that combined the marine environment, life aboard a small vessel, navigating the Italian littoral with the study of maritime radicalism. The summer school took place from June 26-30, 2023 and consisted of three full days of discussion sessions, along with dedicated time for organization and navigation. Departing from and returning to Livorno, a historically important port-city on the Ligurian Sea and key site of maritime labor organizing, the workshop ended with a public event and roundtable that was attended by students from La Sapienza and Livorno residents, including current and former maritime workers and seafarers.

Do you want to add something to our Oceans Map?

Send us your name, a short essay, a short story, a photo, a video, or a link to a social media post related to the sea or maritime issues (TikToks at sea are welcome, as are research essays!). We aim to fill our map with “stories from the sea” of all kinds.