International Summer School ” Exploring Habit: Shaping Psychosocial Realities in the Present-Day World”
About the Summer School
The International Summer School “Exploring habit” is set to unfold at the University of Roma Tre on July 9-11, 2025. Delving into the intricate dynamics of habit, our program invites scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts to engage with challenging issues related to the pervasive impact of habit on human behaviour and social constructs. Under this overarching theme, participants will explore a variety of sub-topics, including the nuances of public policies, the materiality of social practices and structures, the complexities of institutional cultures, and the profound impacts of emerging technologies on collective realities. Emphasis will be put on psychosocial dynamics related to race, gender, class, and on the question of empowerment. Through a blend of lectures and interactive sessions led by international experts in the field, our summer school will offer insights, foster vibrant discussions crossing disciplinary boundaries, and illuminate the profound influence of habit on shaping the fabric of our contemporary world.
PROGRAM
Wednesday 9 July 2025 – Restaurant “Al Biondo Tevere”, Via Ostiense, 178
19:00 Welcome Aperitif
***
Thursday 10 July 2025 – Valerio Verra room (provisional)
9:45 Opening – Marco Piazza (Roma Tre University)
SESSION 1 – 10:00-13:00
Chair: Marco Viola (Roma Tre University)
10:00 Sylvie Delacroix (King’s College London), The Architecture of Moral Attention: LLMs, Habit Plasticity and Moral Transformations
10:45 Sofia Bonicalzi (Roma Tre University), Comment on Delacroix
11:00 Q&A
11:15 Coffee Break
11:45 Junior speakers’ session
- Fiamma Ferzetti (Roma Tre University), Bourdieu’s habitus and ecological agency
- Federica Bonacini (Roma Tre University), Women, Science, and Habits: The Case of Botany in Twentieth-Century Italy
- Michela Silvestri (Roma Tre University) Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes in School-Age Children: Insights from bell hooks
12:45 Q&A
13:00 Lunch Break
SESSION 2 – 14:30-19:00
Chair: Simone Bernardi della Rosa (University of Molise)
14:30 Stefano de Matteis & Riccardo Sarlo (Roma Tre University), False Freedoms and the Booming Proliferation of Subjectivities
15:00 Q&A
15:15 Halina Macedo Leal (Universidade Regional de Blumenau, FURB; Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, PUCPR), Power, Habit, and Identity: Gender, Race, and the Struggle of Black Women for Equity
15:45 Q&A
16:00 Coffee Break
16:30 Parallel Working groups
18:00 Short break
18:15 Plenary discussion
18:45 Closing
***
20:00 Social dinner – Restaurant “Al Biondo Tevere”, Via Ostiense, 178
Friday 11 July 2025 – Valerio Verra room (provisional room)
SESSION 3: 10:00-13:00
Chair: Corinna Guerra (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)
9:45 9:45 World Population Day: Opening – Anna Lisa Tota (Vice-Rector, Roma Tre University)
10:00 Sarah Stitzlein (University of Cincinnati), Flexible Habits and their Cultivation in Schools
10:45 Federica Castelli (Roma Tre University) Comment on Stitzlein
11:00 Q&A
11:15 Coffee Break
11:45 Luísa Semedo (Université Paris-Sorbonne), Uninhabiting Habit: AfroQueerness and the Paradox of Normative Disruption
12:30 Q&A
12:45 Closing Remarks – Marco Piazza (Roma Tre University)
Who Can Apply?
The Summer School is primarily intended for Master’s and PhD students, though others with a strong interest in the topic are also welcome to apply. We encourage applications from individuals belonging to underrepresented groups, including but not limited to minoritized ethnicities, gender identities, and socio-economic backgrounds.
How to Apply
Please send:
▪ Your CV
▪ A brief essay (250–500 words) answering the questions:
“How would you describe a Habit? And why is it interesting to you?”
Send your application via email to: 📩marco.piazza@uniroma3.it
Deadline: May 18th, 2025.
Email Subject: [SummerSchool]
Accommodation & Costs
▪ Accommodation:
We offer 10 spots in shared double rooms at Hotel Casa Tra Noi (Via di Monte del Gallo, 113, Rome) for selected participants who reside outside Rome and its province.
Selection will be based on submitted application materials (CV and essay). Results will be communicated within May 31st.
▪ Participation Fees:
The Summer School is sponsored by the PRIN 2022 PNRR project “Transforming Habits [TRANSHAB]. Agency, Cognition, and Social Change”, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Research. Therefore, there is no registration fee.
Organizers & Contact
▪ Marco Piazza (Roma Tre University), organiser
▪ Marco Viola (Roma Tre University), co-organiser
For any inquiries, feel free to contact:
📩 marco.piazza@uniroma3.it / marco.viola@uniroma3.it
