Summer School in Istanbul: feedback from our ULiège student

From July 14 to 25, 2025, Istanbul's Koç University hosted the MiReKoc-UNIC International Summer School on the theme "Beyond Borders: Health, Migration, and Diversity in an Interconnected World". This intensive program, organized by Koç University's Migration Research Center, brought together students, researchers and professionals from all over Europe to explore the complex links between health, migration and diversity in a globalized world.

Among the participants was Teika Pfeifer, a Master's student in sociology with a specialization in migration and ethnic studies at the University of Liège. For her, this summer school represented a first: her very first UNIC event and her first participation in an international Summer School. It was an outstanding experience, both academically and personally.

The rich and varied program featured lectures by renowned researchers, interactive workshops, student presentations and field trips. Topics covered ranged from access to healthcare for displaced people, to the mobility of healthcare professionals, to participatory approaches in community-based research. Teika Pfeifer particularly highlighted the interest of a session on participatory research carried out locally, which enabled her to make the link with the lessons she had learned at ULiège and to envisage new avenues for her dissertation.

An opportunity to be in the field

Beyond the academic content, Summer School participants had the opportunity to discover Istanbul through two days in the field. One of these, devoted to the "Walking Ethnographies" method, made a particularly strong impression on Teika. Accompanied by local researchers, students explored neighborhoods shaped by migration, recording their impressions via a mobile app. This immersive experience gave rise to rich exchanges on the way in which each individual perceives and interprets urban spaces.

Interdisciplinarity

The Summer School was also an opportunity to forge strong links between participants from a variety of disciplines (law, medicine, architecture, migration studies) and countries. Teika emphasizes the richness of the discussions, both during the sessions and in the informal moments, and the open-mindedness that characterized the exchanges!

She concludes by urging ULiège students of all disciplines to take part in UNIC events: " You'll not only gain knowledge and research perspectives, but also valuable human and professional connections. "

Thanks to UNIC, there are plenty of opportunities for you to take part in Summer Schools! If you'd like to find out more, or be kept up to date with what's out there, please get in touch with the UNIC team!