Photo provided by Tadas Šarūnas
Dr Tadas Šarūnas visited Szczecin University, Poland as part of a Rethink Blue short term scientific mission.
Reflecting on the mission, Tadas said:
“The visit in Szczecin University started with a study of socio-economical background of the place, but also (and even more so) the cultural specificities and even the materiality (building types, materials, relationship to nature – plants and animals overtaking the spaces) in urban fabric. Intensive walking sessions (overall more than 150 km long) through all main sites of the city – the port area, the remains of XIX th century Hausmann style urban areas, certain heritage objects (such as monuments, churches and even a cemetery) – were informed by research and publications of local sociologists on how walking could be used as a method of qualitative research. Informed by the findings of these walks several cases for possible comparative research were identified – the urban wastelands between port and housing areas, the socialist modernist housing of port workers (and current everyday life in these areas), sites of German and soviet heritage. All this resulted in an overall mapping of possible questions and fieldwork locations of common interest as well as a roadmap for future common research proposals.”
Tadas Šarūnas works at Vilnius University / Klaipėda University, Lithuania.
