Summer school on land relations hosted by RCSD from 3-7 June 2024 held at Chiang Mai University.
Apply here now! Application deadline is 22 April, 2024.
Program description
On 3-7 June 2024, the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) and the Mekong Land Research Forum at Chiang Mai University will run a week-long intensive summer school on land relations in the Mekong Region. The purpose of the summer school is to equip participants with a research orientation relevant to the challenges of land governance in the Mekong Region, and to share experiences and perspectives among participants from around the region.
The summer school will explore key concepts, provide access to and engage critically with existing research, and bring together knowledge on current land issues in the Mekong region. It seeks to strengthen individual and networked research that is geared towards secure access to land amongst the rural and urban poor.
The summer school will involve a mix of early-career academics/researchers, those working with civil society organizations and mid-level government staff in the Mekong region (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam).
Content
The summer school program will be organized and run by regional specialists in land issues and will include lectures and online resources. The format will be hands-on with interactive group work and presentations on the part of participants, a field excursion, and guest lectures at Chiang Mai University.
Activities
- Pre-workshop assignment for participants to submit a short summary of their research topic or area of interest in land issues, and familiarisation with others’ topics
- Lectures on key concepts and land-related issues in the Mekong Region, including case studies presentations
- Guest lecture on land and the environment in Thailand
- Facilitator-led seminars on key land-related questions and literature in the Mekong Region
- Practical exercises on:
- searching and selecting key land-relevant literature
- group literature reviews and case study application of concepts and themes
- individual ‘active’ reading, analysing and compiling complex information, and learning to think critically
- Field excursion to learn about land issues in northern Thailand
- Topic sharing and development by participants
Key concepts, themes and interventions
Content
- Resource tenure
- Access and exclusion
- Dispossession and justice
Themes
- Land-based investments and agricultural commercialisation
- Land and forest tenure and governance
- Land and environmental transformations
- Land and marginalized groups
Interventions
- Responsible agricultural investment
- Recognition of customary tenure
The one-week program is run in an intensive format and requires a good working knowledge of the English language and a professional interest in issues related to land governance.
Participants must commit to the full week’s program. Participants will need to arrive in Chiang Mai by the evening of Sunday 2 June 2024 and depart no earlier than the morning of Saturday 8 June 2024.
Scholarships
The Mekong Region Land Governance project provides travel and accommodation support to participants from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam (based in the region). Participants from other countries will need to fund their own travel costs, but all tuition costs will be provided without charge.
For more information, please contact:
Natalia Scurrah
Jean-Christophe Diepart