The afterlife of CoPED: Entanglements and impacts of a participatory learning field school in Sicily

Abstract

This paper critically explores the afterlife of CoPED, an international interdisciplinary participatory action field school in eastern Sicily from 2015 to 2022. Drawing on fieldnotes taken during the program reflection sessions, small group discussions, informal conversations during meals, and post-CoPED debriefings with community partners, I consider the long-term impact of the field school on the different types of participants—students and faculty from three Universities and members of Participatory Presidium of the Simeto River Agreement and other residents, as well as what anthropology has contributed to the program. The article briefly outlines the background of CoPED and its pedagogical commitments, pointing to some of the benefits and challenges that CoPED practices create for the community and for participants. Then, I explore the benefits, costs, and pressure points of CoPED, from material to organizational, to training and mentoring. The article concludes with a reflection on the complexities of long-term field school collaborations to suggest the roles that anthropology can and does play in shaping the participants and the field in this interdisciplinary context.