Students and alumni share their knowledge about social justice at 2nd Connected Learning Symposium

On June 10, 2023, more than 50 participants from different schools of Erasmus University (ESSB, ESHCC, RSM, ISS, EUC, ESE) and other high education institutions attended the 2nd Connected Learning Symposium. Together in the historical De Machinist building in Rotterdam, students and alumni from bachelor and master programmes addressed pressing societal questions. Their diverse and interdisciplinary answers and approaches were grouped into four parallel panels and five poster presentations.   

Pressing struggles and initiatives in Rotterdam

Panel 1  challenged some of the make-it-happen buzzwords surrounding contemporary Rotterdam: “multicultural”, “futuristic”, “avant-garde”, to name a few. Adopting a critical approach, presenters in this session dissected processes of gentrification in the Nieuwe Binnenweg neighbourhood and exposed the structural barriers to tertiary education for undocumented students living in Rotterdam. Grassroot solutions were further discussed with the “EURscool” tutoring project as a notable example.    

Creative strategies against oppressive structures

Panel 2 focused on “creative strategies against oppressive structures.” It explored how different social groups ingeniously navigate adverse conditions and power forces across the globe. The discussion covered efforts as diverse as those of NGOs fighting poverty in Africa; humanitarian boats facing increasing policing in the Mediterranean; cherry pickers in Chile trying to resist oppressive working conditions; the home-making practices of members of the Myanmarese diaspora in Europe; and how civil society organisations Bin Granada, Spain, engage with migrant residents.  

Mediated in- and ex- clusion

“Mediated in- and ex- clusion,” panel 3, uncovered the proliferation of online discrimination and the counter-efforts that have emerged in this media landscape. Some of the strategies against oppression that they discussed included the reflexive engagement with one’s own racial biases; queer modes of online socialization; Andean pop as a form of resistance and recognition; and a critical reconsideration of the feminine in Barbie films and other “girls’ media.”  

Discussing inequalities through documentaries and poster visualizations

This year’s symposium also stepped outside written texts and explored audiovisual approaches to knowledge making and sharing. Panel 4, “Inequalities through an audiovisual lens,” brought together ESHCC and EUC students. The first screened and reflected on the essay videos they produced for a research workshop on media and migration, while EUC students contrasted bottom up and top down urban planning approaches as captured in two video documentaries.  

Back in the plenary room, one-to-one poster presentations touched on issues dealing with patriarchy and feminism in higher education, sustainability, and financial exclusion. Assigned discussants and other participants had the opportunity to engage in rich, interdisciplinary conversations with poster authors.

Making social justice visible in movement performance

To close, participants were treated to a remarkable movement performance by Tu Hoang and Maika Sontrop. Curated specifically for the symposium, the performance brought together influences from Kungfu, Taichi, classical ballet, urban hip-hop, popping, krump, and other contemporary styles. Not only did the artists beautifully manifest their understanding of social justice through their bodies, but they also triggered a rich Q&A with the audience. Their answers underscored how dancing styles, like the different aspects of one’s identity, do not fit into pre-given categories, but become meaningful in their fluid relation to each, in everyday interactions and improvisations.  

The value of the audiovisual in truly interdisciplinary research

The movement performance brought together many of the conversations participants had had during the event and added a new dimension to how we can produce and share knowledge. Reflecting on the program more broadly, Alex Huang, student IDEA officer at ESSB and moderator of one of the panels, explained: “I never thought audiovisual techniques could be so impactful, translating research through movies, documentaries, and even dance moves. That’s something new I’ve learned this year: to present research in different meaningful ways and to work with artists to make research truly interdisciplinary”. 

The 2023 edition of the Connected Learning Symposium was organised by Isabel Awad and Elliot Zepeda, with the support of the Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens (VCC). Information about the first edition, can be found here.