Last weekend the coordinators of the study circles of the Nordic Summer University met, to discuss the ongoing plans for the Winter Symposia, and to make first plans for the Summer Session this year.

Also the keys of NSU were passed on from the departing 2020 Chair Inta Balode (Latvia) to the new Chair for 2021 Nicole des Bouvrie (International). With many thanks to the hard work of both Inta and the other members of the Board last year, and fortunately Inta is taking on the new responsibility of treasurer to support Nicole and the rest of the Board in the tasks ahead.

Upcoming Winter Symposia:

Circle 9 will hold a small gathering in Turku, but the symposium will be mostly online, 17 to 19 March 2021, in collaboration with circle 4. Topic: Comics in the Nordic Region

Circle 8 will have an online symposium from 26 to 28 March 2021. Planned are 4 keynotes and 14 presentations. Topic: Education and Nature as the Other in the Anthropocene

Circle 7: There will be several evenings in March with programme, as well as a physical event in Helsinki in May 2021, a meeting outdoors if not inside. Also, a reading group is starting. Topic of the Winter Symposium: Presence.

Circle 6: Winter Symposium with 18 presentations and 2 keynotes. Mid-march, still thinking about physical event in Turku. So this will probably be a hybrid event, both online and offline. Topic: Is there a need for a new, a Nordic, environmental ethic?

Circle 5 will organise an online Winter Symposium from 17 to 19 March 2021. However, IF possible, there will be some meeting in Denmark with local people. There will be presentations of 14 papers during three afternoons, even though more applied. Topic: Racialized Encounters.

Circle 4. There will be a couple of sessions per day during their online Winter Symposium that will be held from 16 to 19 March 2021 and on 28 to 31 in Paris (also online, in collaboration with the American University there). There were many applications but they had to reject some to come to a manageable amount. Topic: Narrating Violence: Making Race, Making Difference.

Circle 3. With around 30 participants, many from the writing community and reading groups that were established during last summer session, but also new people. The Winter Symposium will take place from 6 to 8 March, online, with two evening events in Turku (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia) for local people to join. Topic: Home & Exile.

Circle 2 is working on the publication and collaborative writing project that will take place over three sessions during March. Around 15 participants were accepted. It will be a completely online event on March 6, 18-19 and 30-31. Topic: Far Futures Archeology: collaborative excavations. Writing workshop and publication project.

Circle 1 will host a Winter Symposium from 27 to 28 March 2021. There are 10 minute presentations and time for discussions with around 15 people. Topic: The Urban Everyday Life.

For more information, see the information from each circle. Hoping to see you during one of the events!