This is (not) the end!

Pair Writing in Progress

Every event comes to an end – when they shouldn’t. The sun is still out, summer continues (a Scottish heat wave – if that is not an oxymoron), we are into Pair-Writing during the final afternoon and INTERCONNECTED is, sadly, coming to a close.

At the heart of our final session are the participants’ projects, sharing thoughts with a chosen partner, followed by writing and posting on our research, how INTERCONNECTED may have helped – or not.

From an organizers’s point of view, we hoped to have stimulated ideas in three different areas:

–socially, bringing people together and connecting them

–intellectually, sharing ideas around transnational, global history, the role, study, research around networks and connections (which one comes first- Hen or Egg, the Social or Intellectual?, or the next)

–professionally and pedagogically, inspire some thoughts on teaching, collaboration, sharing in a learning or class room environment (not only summer schools come to and end – also PhDs – be aware there may be teaching ahead…)

It has been a great pleasure and privilege to work and cooperate for a few days with a group of Polish, Czech, French, even some English, German (well, and the Swiss and Austrians), semi Norwegians, Greeks or Brazilians on topics ranging from cartographic knowledge in the Russian Empire, to the expulsion and classification of populations in post-independence in African countries, the Alps, communication in Habsburg Galicia or a fair in Lyon, conservative Punks or ice hockey on both sides of the dividing iron curtain – and in fact much more.

This is of course not where a summer school has to end. Ideally, this summer camp was not only on historical, transnational networks but ideally we should take away social and intellectual connections and foster them. Ideally, ideas will keep spinning and feeding back into our work at a later stage.

The webpage and the graines.interconnected@gmail.com will remain open and food for thoughts what to do at the next 4th GRAINES summer school in Cologne 2016 are more than welcome.

A huge welcome and thanks to all for coming and the willingness to discuss, share, discuss, expose yourself to an unconference and pair-writing.

Thank you on behalf of the Graines Team and the St Andrews crew – with special thanks to Tadek and Giada, you have been wonderful.