GLOBAL SUB-PROJECTS

Earthquakes, Community, and Urban Planning in Izmir, Turkey

​Within this ISC sub-project, Baris Esser developed his PhD proposal focusing on infrastructures and catastrophes in Turkey, under the supervision of Professor Dimitris Dalakoglou. The research examines how earthquakes shape urban infrastructures, community responses, and urban planning practices in Izmir.
In addition to this doctoral research, Baris Esser and Dimitris Dalakoglou co-authored an article based on this work, which has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (IJURR).

Informal Waste Management in Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia

​Within this ISC sub-project, Rachma Lutfiny Putri developed her PhD proposal focusing on value creation within the waste recycling commodity chain in Indonesia. The project examines how informal waste workers, recycling networks, and urban infrastructures contribute to the circulation and transformation of recyclable materials in cities such as Jakarta and Surabaya. The research is supervised by Professor Freek Colombijn.
Putri’s PhD proposal was successfully awarded the Wadsworth International Fellowship from the Wenner-Gren Foundation, supporting her doctoral research.
In addition to this project, Rachma Lutfiny Putri and Freek Colombijn co-authored an article based on this research, which was published in the Worldwide Waste Journal.

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Invisible Threats and Expectations in a Visibly Ruined Planet: The Guyanas

In this ISC sub-project, Marjo de Theije, Leonidas Oikonomakis, and Eva Koemar examine the environmental crisis and infrastructural developments in the Guyanas. Their research focuses on the concepts of invisibility and (im)materiality, exploring how hidden environmental processes and infrastructures shape expectations of development and perceptions of ecological catastrophe in the age of the Anthropocene.
Through this perspective, the project investigates how environmental degradation, extractive industries, and infrastructural expansion interact with local experiences of uncertainty, risk, and future development.
To further develop this research, Marjo de Theije has applied for funding through the NWO Open Competition, and the proposal has been shortlisted.
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Houselessness in Amsterdam
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Housing is a basic human need and deeply embedded in the social fabric of society. In the Netherlands, however, housing policy often treats accommodation not as a starting point for addressing social problems, but rather as something that individuals can regain only after those problems have been resolved.
In this ISC sub-project, Louisa Schneider examines common misconceptions about homelessness and explores the structural, political, and social factors that prevent the implementation of unconditional housing approaches. Her research investigates how housing policy, welfare systems, and public perceptions shape the experiences of houseless individuals in Amsterdam.
As part of this project, a documentary film was produced: Interspace: Housing on the Edge, which explores the realities of houselessness in Amsterdam and the challenges surrounding access to housing.

Archaeological Infrastructures in Greece as Commons: Archeo-Commons

This ISC sub-project, carried out by Dimitris Dalakoglou, examines how Greece’s archaeological infrastructures, including foreign archaeological schools and the Ministry of Culture, can be reframed as facilitators of heritage commons. Historically, these institutions have been closely connected to diplomacy, state sovereignty, and elite academic scholarship. However, they also hold the potential to support co-stewardship of heritage by opening archives, laboratories, and decision-making processes to broader publics and local communities.
Through case studies from archaeological sites the project explores how commons-based principles, including shared governance, equitable distribution of benefits, and participatory forms of authorship, can be integrated into heritage management practices.
By investigating these possibilities, the research aims to align archaeological governance with broader goals of sustainability, inclusivity, and social equity, positioning heritage infrastructures as collaborative resources rather than exclusively state- or institutionally controlled assets.

Frontline Civil Servants in Brazil

​This ISC sub-project builds on the research of Flavio Eiro and focuses on the everyday practices of frontline civil servants in Brazil. The project seeks to move beyond normative conceptualizations of the state and citizenship by examining how political dynamics shape the representations, expectations, and daily interactions of both citizens and frontline workers in the ongoing construction of the state.
Through an ethnographic perspective, the research explores how state institutions are experienced and enacted in everyday encounters between public officials and citizens, highlighting the informal practices, negotiations, and interpretations that shape governance on the ground.
Within the context of the ISC project, Flavio Eiro completed a book manuscript based on this research and submitted an NWO-XS grant proposal to further develop the project.

Gold Extraction and Forest Ecologies in Chalkidiki, Greece

This ISC sub-project builds on previous research conducted by Leonidas Oikonomakis and Dimitris Dalakoglou in the ancient forest of Skouries, located in Chalkidiki, Greece. Their earlier collaboration explored the social, ecological, and political dynamics surrounding gold extraction in the region and resulted in the publication of the first ethnographic comic in Greece, focusing on the struggles and narratives connected to the Skouries forest.
Expanding on this work, the current sub-project examines the interactions between human and non-human ecologiesin the Skouries forest, addressing the environmental transformations and social conflicts linked to mining activities.
To further develop this research, Leonidas Oikonomakis was awarded an NWO-XS grant, which supports continued investigation into the multispecies ecologies and environmental futures of the Skouries forest.

Local Renewable Energy Communities Pilot

This ISC sub-project was led by Dimitris Dalakoglou and builds on his ongoing research on energy communities, capacity building, and collaborative approaches to renewable energy governance across several European countries. The project explores how local renewable energy initiatives can operate as community-based infrastructures, contributing to more democratic and sustainable energy systems.
The work carried out within this pilot led to the co-design and submission of an ERC Synergy Grant proposal, developed in collaboration with Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Oulu. The proposal has been shortlisted to the next stage of the ERC Synergy assessment process.
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In addition, Dimitris Dalakoglou, together with Vasilis Kostakis from Tallinn University of Technology, published an article based on this research in the journal Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy.