MESH Autumn Academy for Planetary Wellbeing A Graduate School on Multispecies Conviviality (MESH Well) - Completed
01.06.2024 - 15.11.2025
General Overview
The MESH Autumn Academy for Planetary Well-being builds on the success of the two prior graduate summer schools organised by the Environmental Humanities initiative within EUniWell (EHWell) at Linnaeus University (2022) and the University of Florence (2023).
Continuing this successful series, a Graduate School was held in conjonction with the annual MESH Symposium on Multispecies Conviviality in October 2024 and the launch of the UoC BRIDGES Thematic Hub. The goal was to create a European community of researchers dedicated to enhancing planetary (more-than-human) well-being.
Purpose and Significance
At a time of global biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and environmental degradation, well-being cannot be restricted to humans but must be seen through a planetary perspective, encompassing multispecies conviviality. Grave concerns about multiple ecological ruptures are the source of widespread anxiety and anger, especially among young people. The aim of the MESH Well project and the Autumn Academy was to address these issues by exploring multispecies conviviality in urban more-than-human environments, with a view to enhancing planetary well-being.
The multifaceted nature of current socio-ecological crises requires a multidisciplinary approach, which is central to the research conducted at the hosting institution of MESH at the University of Cologne. Through the MESH Autumn Academy for Planetary Well-being, which included the MESH Symposium on Multispecies Conviviality, the project team brings together researchers from anthropology, ecology, education, geography, literary and cultural studies, and philosophy. The project also forged links between universities and several national and international research organisations, including the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (Bonn) and the BRIDGES UNESCO-MOST coalition for humanities-led sustainability sciences, as well as with local communities, artists, and activists.
Implementation Method and Timeline
The participating EUniWell partners included the University of Cologne, Linnaeus University, Nantes Université, and the University of Florence.
The main event of the MESH Well project is the Autumn Academy for Planetary Well-being, which took place on 14–19 October 2024, and for which a report can be consulted. The EUniWell partners participated with graduate students and senior researchers who acted as mentors, leading multidisciplinary thematic working groups based on their research expertise. In addition, Cologne-based researchers and visiting international scholars, such as ecologist Sandra Díaz and sociologist Laurel Kearns, delivered introductory lectures on relevant themes. The academic programme of the Autumn Academy also included excursions exploring local forms of multispecies conviviality and biodiversity conservation projects, such as the Forschungsmuseum Koenig (part of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change) and the Bioeconomy Science Center of the Forschungszentrum Jülich.Our participating partners within the EUniWell alliance include the University of Cologne, Linnaeus University, Nantes Université, and the University of Florence.
Outcomes
The project successfully achieved its core goals by hosting an international graduate school focused on multispecies conviviality and planetary well-being. The week-long Autumn Academy at the University of Cologne brought together MA and PhD students from partner institutions, combining lectures, workshops, and collaborative research activities. This resulted in four peer-reviewed publications in the MESH Leaf series, with remaining funds invested in follow-up activities to support long-term impact and network consolidation.
The project was effectively disseminated through various platforms, generating substantial momentum for sustained collaboration within the EUniWell alliance. Follow-up activities, including a masterclass and field laboratory, demonstrated the scalability of the project’s training and research model, attracting new collaborators and situating the project within broader international academic debates.
Further Information
More information on this project can be found on this page from the University of Cologne.
Contact:
Christoph Lange, Academic Programme Manager and Associate Director of MESH, University of Cologne
Kate Rigby, Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Environmental Humanities and Director of MESH, University of Cologne
