From 16th to 22nd of June 2025, scholars, PhD students, master’s and bachelor’s students from India, Germany and the Netherlands gathered at the stunning mountain retreat of Goethe University’s ‘Guest House Bergkranz’ in Kleinwalsertal, Austria.
This summer school, jointly organised by the Goethe University Frankfurt/Frobenius Institute (Germany), the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (India) and the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), consisted of interactive lectures on conversion, agriculture, education and extractivism in contemporary India. Although these subjects seem to be quite diverse, during the week it became clear that there is a common ground: the phenomenon of cultural change and the complexities and predicaments of contemporary lifeworlds of the Indigenous population (Adivasi) of Odisha, India.
The week opened with an introduction by the organisers, Prof Dr Roland Hardenberg (Goethe University Frankfurt) and Dr Peter Berger (University of Groningen), emphasizing the main goals of this summer school: to understand the entanglements between “Gods” (conversion), “Fields” (agriculture), “Minds” (education) and “Mines” (extractivism), build an academic network and discuss future research and study possibilities. The first two days were mainly dedicated to Indigenous agriculture when PhD students Ashutosh Kumar, Nidhi Trivedi, Suneet Kumar and Indhubala Kesevan presented their research on cereal cultures in Odisha, India, including the screening of the new documentary film “Crops of Life” (director Kunal Vohra/Altair Films), which is based on their research.
On Wednesday, the participants took a short break from lectures to enjoy a hiking excursion in the nearby Gemsteltal valley led by Dr Stefan Jocham and Anna Frehse, two regional experts working for the Kleinwalsertal tourism agency. During the excursion, the participants gained important insights into the history of the valley, the ecological challenges it faces and how the local communities are trying to achieve harmonious coexistence between people, animals and plants in this beautiful but fragile environment. On Thursday, the programme continued with lectures and discussions on mass education in Odisha — a relevant topic for understanding the activities of national and international mining companies. Dr James Narendra Bondla (Frobenius Institute) introduced the topic of the so-called factory schools in his lecture ‘Resource extraction and schooling in India’. Malvika Gupta, DPhil (University of Oxford, UK), then reported on her research on Indigenous movements in India and Ecuador in her presentation ‘State policies, extractive industries and Indigenous education: new mode of assimilation?’. Finally, the Indian activist Sharanya Nayak shared her experiences and her film ‘The Laboratory Project’ about local education in the tribal areas of Odisha.
Friday was reserved for seminars and discussions on the topic of cultural change. It began with Dr Peter Berger, who provided the theoretical framework from Marshall Sahlins’ work on ‘Theory of the Event’. This framework provided orientation for the participants in the subsequent discussions and in understanding and analysing cultural change. Dr Baktygul Shabdan (Goethe University Frankfurt) contributed to this theme with her presentation on cultural and religious change in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, followed by Aswino Gomango (Assistant Professor at Maa Manikeshwari University, Odisha), who reported on his research concerning the ‘Christian conversion and changing identity of the Saora Adivasi in the Highlands of South Odisha, India’.
Saturday morning was reserved for individual activities, such as climbing to the top of a nearby mountain, visiting a waterfall, short hikes or some souvenir shopping in the village. In the afternoon, the programme continued with brainstorming sessions and discussions on future research, advocacy and activism in cultural anthropology, as well as career and study prospects and publication strategies.
Between seminars, spread throughout the week, participating students prepared presentations on their own topics of interest and preliminary empirical research, which made the programme even more interesting and diverse. After an intensive, educational and entertaining week of seminars, discussions, sharing meals, drinks and after-dinner walks, the group enjoyed a breakfast together on Sunday morning before all setting off to travel back to their own ever-changing cultural worlds.
Sandra van Meel, Roland Hardenberg und Peter Berger
Copyright by Ravina Hardenberg 
Copyright by Ravina Hardenberg
Copyright by Mahasweta Podder
