News & Events
July 2025
Colloquia at the Institute Cultures of the Alps in Uri: 'What Does the Mountain Sound Like?'
From 1 to 3 July 2025, the Institute Cultures of the Alps held its Institute Days in Altdorf. The programme featured workshops on various themes, a network conference and an excursion.
At the heart of the network day on 2 July was the question: What does the mountain sound like? How do sounds, music and silence shape our perception of alpine spaces? Contributions ranged from tourism projects and research on folk music to observations of everyday acoustic environments. This diversity of perspectives clearly demonstrated how sound functions as a medium for memory, storytelling and connection.
The presentations at the colloquia, particularly the workshop on the history of wilderness led by Patrick Kupper, offered valuable theoretical insights. A particularly memorable moment was the excursion on the third day, which focused on the theme of water. Accompanied by hydrologist Rolf Weingartner, we traced the course of the Chärstelenbach stream, exploring the ecological, cultural and symbolic dimensions of alpine water landscapes. The route took us by bus to Bristen, from where we travelled up the mountain via the historic Waldiberg cable car. Along the way, we gained insights into local infrastructures and their importance for life in alpine regions.
A particularly poignant moment was the symbolic launch of our new edited volume project on water, which will be developed over the next two years. This was ceremonially inaugurated using water from Lake Thun.
June 2025
ECAS 2025: Exchange on Water Infrastructures
From 25 to 28 June 2025, the 10th European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) took place in Prague under the theme African, Afropolitan, and Afropean Belongings and Identities.
In the panel Hazardous Flows: Technology, Creativity and Risk on Africa’s Rivers, convened by Peter Lambertz and Simon Marijsse (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), Elisabeth Schubiger presented her research on the role of water infrastructures in relation to oil extraction in northern Kenya. The panel discussions focused on the significance of technical systems, their maintenance, and the social dynamics they generate. Particularly enriching was the exchange on the ambivalence of infrastructures, which can both enable access and produce exclusion and new dependencies.
The question of how water infrastructures are locally embedded, used, and governed is not only relevant in extractive contexts but also in the development of decentralised energy systems.
Participation at the SSH Energy Workshop at ETH Zurich
On 16 and 17 June 2025, the SSH Energy Workshop took place at ETH Zurich, organised by the Cultural Studies of Science and Technology (CSTS) group and the Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab).
We attended the event to exchange ideas with colleagues from various disciplines on transdisciplinary approaches in energy research. A particular highlight was the keynote by Prof. Dr. Michael Stauffacher, who reflected on twenty years of sociological research in the energy field. His insights into the diverse roles and expectations of social science in transdisciplinary contexts inspired us to reflect on our own position as humanities scholars in the energy sector during the interactive workshops.
May 2025
Hannah at CISEPA
With an extensive interview including photo session Hannah was welcomed as a guest researcher at CISEPA (Centre for Research in Sociology, Economics, Political Science and Anthropology). This research centre forms part of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, located in Lima. Thank you for the careful writing and the great photo!
Here you can read the interview.
Participation in the 2025 Small Hydropower Technical Conference
On May 9, 2025, we had the opportunity to attend the technical conference organized by the Swiss Association for Small Hydropower in Collex-Bossy. The event provided a valuable space for exchange between practitioners, policymakers, and researchers on the future of small hydropower in Switzerland.
Particularly insightful were the discussions on political trade-offs in energy and environmental policy, as well as the importance of ecological rehabilitation—especially regarding fish migration and river connectivity. In addition to engaging presentations, the conference included site visits to various hydropower facilities in the Geneva region, including the Verbois power plant with its impressive fish passage, the Moulin de Richelien, and the Avouillons plant.
The on-site discussions and hands-on insights sharpened our understanding of both the opportunities and challenges related to small hydropower. Many thanks to Swiss Small Hydro for the excellent organization!
April 2025
Institute days at the Urner Institut Kulturen der Alpen – April 2025
From April 9 to 11, 2025, the Urner Institut Kulturen der Alpen held its Institute Days in Altdorf. Researchers working on the Alpine region in its many dimensions came together to foster transdisciplinary exchange and reflect on methodological approaches. A particular highlight was the Artistic Research workshop with artist Luzia Hürzeler, who offered insights into her transdisciplinary art projects. Excursions to the local Ürmetzg AG butchery and the "Abwasser Uri" wastewater treatment plant provided fascinating views into local infrastructures. The program was complemented by walks to the lake, shared dinners, and wonderfully springlike weather with stunning views of the Uri mountains.
March 2025
Hannah in the field
Hannah arrived in Peru in March 2025. She has already had the opportunity to visit several small hydropower plants in the north of the country, Cajamarca region. The picture shows the tubes of the Conchán small hydropower plant, which began operating in 1993 as a community project and is now owned by the municipality.
February 2025
Announcement: Elisabeth at ECAS
We are pleased that Elisabeth Schubiger’s paper entitled “Water for Oil: Fluid Dispossessions and Extractive Practices in Northern Kenya” has been accepted for a presentation in the panel “Hazardous Flows: Technology, Creativity and Risk on Africa’s Rivers” at the 10th European Conference on African Studies to be held from 25 to 28 June 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Detailed information about presentations will be available at the conference website.
Master Seminar on Infrastructure and Social Imagination
Agnieszka is teaching a Master Seminar “Living Houses, Ghostly Roads and Sky-scraping Towers: Infrastructure and Social Imagination” at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Fribourg
Online Lecture Series at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Agnieszka gave an inaugural talk “An Anthropology of Infrastructure: China’s Belt and Road Initiative Through the Eyes of an Anthropologist” in the online lecture series “Social Anthropology Today: Practicing and Doing Anthropology in Uncertain Times” for the students of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Together with Oksana Owsiiuk and Madlen Kobi from the University of Fribourg, and Marharyta Chabanna from the Academy, Agnieszka coordinates this lecture series introducing the discipline of Social Anthropology to the students of the Faculty of Social Sciences in the spring semester 2025.
January 2025
NCCR application submitted
Agnieszka has been part of the team submitting the application for the new interdisciplinary National Center for Competence in Research (NCCR) “Future Energy Landscapes”. The NCCR is headed by the ETH Zurich and Università della Svizzera italiana, and brings together researchers from seven Swiss Universities to collaborate on developing and testing scenarios for socially and ecologically sustainable energy futures. The NCCRs are 12-year research programs funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation together with the applying Universities. Agnieszka is the leading PI of the Work Package “Maintenance, Repair, and Transformation of Energy Infrastructures”.
PhD Colloquium - Human Geography meets Social Anthropology
On January 27,2025, our team member Hannah Plüss presented her PhD project in a joint colloquium from the Human Geography and Social Anthropology Units to interchange ideas and knowledge.
Team-Workshop on Methods and Ethics
On January 17, 2025, we had our first team workshop at the University of Fribourg. In the afternoon, we could invite two excellent researchers:
Yonatan Gez, University Institute of Lisbon, gave some exciting insights on his applications of the ECRIS collaborative research approach in two projects, SALMEA and FamilEA.
Madlen Kobi, University of Fribourg, showed us how she and her team from Urban Bricolage brought to light the reality and people behind the idea of Circular Construction.
A big thank you to our speakers and our attendees for the vivid debates and rich food for thought.
Welcome to the team, Elisabeth!
I am passionate anthropologist and researcher and in the Maintaining Relationship project, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher. In my work, I will examine how decentralized hydropower infrastructures in the Swiss Alps are maintained over time—not just technically, but through social ties, kinship, and community dynamics. I have always been fascinated by the conflicting goals of a sustainable transition—those moments when infrastructure, progress, and technology collide with human realities.
I look forward to be working at this unique intersection within the framework of my new position and to be part of this team.
October 2024
Agnieszka at the China Week in London
Agnieszka was one of the speakers on panel “Situating the Chinese model of infrastructure development” during the China Week 2024 at Lau China Institute, School of Global Affairs, King’s College London.
July 2024
Welcome to the team, Hannah!
I am Hannah Plüss. With great pleasure I join the "Maintaining Relations" team as a PhD student. This project perfectly fits my longtime focus on Latin America and my diverse experiences around community building and management. I am eager to conduct fieldwork with communities on an equal footing and to contribute to transdisciplinary knowledge about socially sustainable energy production.
May 2024
Agnieszka at the roundtable about the repercussions of China's One Belt One Road Initiative
Agnieszka participated in the roundtable “China’s One Belt One Road Initiative: Repercussions in Asia and Beyond” at the 10th Meeting of the Swiss Asian Society and Swiss Society of the Study of the Middle East hosted by the University of Basel.
March 2024
Agnieszka and Madlen at the Gymnasium Thun
Together with Madlen Kobi, Agnieszka taught a class «China durch die Augen der Sozialanthropologie» at the Thun Gymnasium (high school), Switzerland.
