School of Materialist Research Summer Institute 2026

“Political” in the contemporary sense, and as bound by its disciplinary definitions in political science and political philosophy, assigns societal categories, forms of law and moralities to the edges or beyond the limits of what is political. Yet again, these excluded categories are both legislated by the Political within its limits of “discursive legibility,” in Judith Butler’s parlance, and relegated to the realms of the pre-political (including anti-political, non-political). The “beyond political” serves to constitute the political as its Other, to be subjugated or negated by it, but also to be kept at bay as the source of elemental revolt, i.e., “prepolitical.” (27 July-31 July 2026)

"Realism, Materialism, Epistemology: What is Living and What is Dead in Contemporary Thought?," is the title of a summer school, part of the SMR Summer Institute in Stagira/Olympiada (Greece), scheduled for August 17–23, 2026. It will explore the 21st century provocations and challenges to the dominance of the poststructuralist epistem across the humanities, social sciences, political philosophy, and beyond. 

The School of Materialist Research is pleased to announce the third edition of its Advanced Design Practices Summer Institute, Living Design: Ontological Design Redux. The program is aimed at graduate students (Master’s and doctoral) and early-career researchers who wish to expand their creative and critical research on questions related to design, calling for a fundamental rethinking and redoing of design praxis. The school is taught by internationally renowned faculty in design and the arts from Goldsmiths, University of London (UK), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Arizona State University (USA), and Sandberg Instituut (Netherlands).