From 9–10 October 2025, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Kassel Institute for Sustainability and the University of Erfurt hosted the Third Sociological Forest Symposium. Together with colleagues across Germany, Dr. Susanne Koch convened a collaborative workshop on reflexivity in forest research.

The workshop addressed reflexivity in sociological forest research, with a particular focus on positionality experiences in the field. It began with a free writing exercise, in which participants individually reflected on concrete situations from their own research practice, documenting moments of explicit and implicit self-positionings, external ascriptions, and related tensions. 

These reflections formed the basis for a subsequent ‘world café’ format: gathering at three tables, participants collectively explored how positionings play out across different phases of the research process, from field access to analysis, publication and the reception of results. The discussions highlighted both the challenges and the potential of reflexive engagement with researchers’ positions, including own values, emotions, and relations to actors in the field. 

For two days, the Third Sociological Forest Symposium brought together researchers from across the social sciences to present and discuss current work on forests and society. Alongside pitch talks and workshops, interactive formats fostering networking and exchange were a central focus of the event. Special attention was paid to the theme of the futures of forests. A panel discussion with panelists working in diverse institutional contexts – including basic and policy-oriented research organisations as well as the regional state forest management authority – made clear that these futures are subject to contested and conflictual social negotiations, and that social science expertise is essential for understanding and addressing the societal dimensions of forest-related transformations.

Further information on the symposium is available online (German): https://lnkd.in/eujsjhVG

A report in a local newspaper (German) can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e_JuGtig