The workshop, titled "Waterfronts: Work transformations, environmental change, and urban development at the port-city nexus." brought a group of critical social scientists from various disciplines (i.e. anthropologists, geographers, sociologists and historians) together to discuss each other's work.
The event was held on the 18th and 19th May at the outstanding premises of the Norwegian Institute at Athens in the city center of the Greek capital, where we had ample opportunity to exchange ourselves. With a wide range of papers presented, the small scope of the workshop allowed for in-depth discussions of the crucial, yet at times rather conflict-riddled, nexus between cities and the ports that they host.
(Giorgos Poulimenakos, PhD student on the Ports-project, presenting)
On 20th May, the ports-group and some participants went on to do a day-trip to nearby Piraeus, where we were graciously hosted and showed around by Giorgos Gogos, secretary of Dockworkers Union of Piraeus Ports Authority (P.P.A.), and Stamatis Koulouras, President of the Dockworkers's Union of P.P.A. They gave us many insights into current labour issues at the Port of Piraeus, which was over recent years bought up by Chinese state-owned shipping company COSCO.
(Port of Piraeus; with Giorgos Gogos, secretary of P.P.A. in the center)