From June 29 to July 4, 2026, the UdeM–UNAM Summer School, Doing Research on the City: Public Space, Inequalities and Urban Citizenship, brought together 27 master's students—15 from the Université de Montréal and the Université du Québec à Montréal, and 12 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)—along with around twenty faculty members, researchers, artists, and practitioners representing six universities: UNAM, the Université de Montréal, the Université du Québec à Montréal, McGill University, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM Azcapotzalco), and the University of Calgary.
Jointly organized by CÉRIUM, the Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales of UNAM (IIS-UNAM), ÉRIGAL, and the Canada Research Chair in Participation and Citizenship, the Summer School provided an intensive interdisciplinary learning environment dedicated to contemporary approaches to urban research. Over six days, participants engaged with diverse theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives while fostering dialogue between Canadian and Latin American experiences and research traditions.
The program combined lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions, and field-based activities covering a wide range of topics, including urban citizenship, socio-spatial inequalities, participatory public policies, feminisms and artivism, sensory mapping, urban mobilities, and collaborative research with social movements. This diversity of approaches encouraged participants to reflect critically on the many ways cities can be studied and understood.
Fieldwork was one of the defining features of this year's program. Activities took place across several emblematic areas of Mexico City, including Coyoacán, the Historic Centre, the UNAM campus, Iztapalapa, and Polanco. These visits allowed participants to engage directly with the city's urban realities, exchange ideas with scholars, artists, and community actors, and connect classroom discussions with lived experiences in one of Latin America's largest metropolitan areas.
Beyond its academic content, the Summer School created a unique space for dialogue, collaboration, and the development of new international research networks among students, faculty members, and researchers from Canada and Latin America. The exchanges throughout the week strengthened institutional partnerships while laying the groundwork for future collaborative research initiatives.
ÉRIGAL warmly thanks everyone who contributed to the success of this edition. Special thanks go to Françoise Montambeault (Université de Montréal), Nora Nagels (Université du Québec à Montréal), and Marcela Meneses (IIS-UNAM), co-directors of the Summer School, as well as Ana Neiva Cardante (Université de Montréal) and Elvia Ramírez (UNAM), who coordinated this edition of the program. We also extend our sincere gratitude to all faculty members, guest speakers, institutional partners, and students whose dedication, generosity, and enthusiasm made this week an outstanding academic, collaborative, and human experience.