An Illich Island Itinerary
Islands of Conviviality is a collaborative research and practice initiative that creates a series of interconnected activities, community engagement and collectivised outputs.
Three Croatian islands located in the Adriatic Sea – Brač, Hvar, and Vis, and possibly other islands – comprise “islands of conviviality”, where will be staged critical, creative conversations and itineraries, group fieldwork activities and creative artistic programming. The project’s objective is to create transdisciplinary enquiries of the history, relevance, and critical applications of “conviviality”, as conceived by the Croatian-Austrian philosopher, social critic, and Roman Catholic Jesuit priest Ivan Illich, originating from the island of Brač.
Illich’s avocation was for reconfiguring societal structures and systems toward prioritising human well-being, and meaningful relationships while restoring autonomy and agency to individuals and communities. Illich’s ideas were inspired by his own time on the Adriatic islands and his grandfather’s homestead on Brač.
Islands of Conviviality returns to a locale, source and initiation of some of Illich’s ideas, situating conviviality within an environment Illich was influenced by while animating these proposals and critiques through contemporary contexts of culture, sociality, ecology and politics of the region.
We are at the starting phase of mapping the Illich Island itinerary that will lead to multiple events marking the 100th anniversary of Illich’s birth in 2026.
If you are a researcher, practitioner or islander, possible partner or funder interested in Islands of Conviviality, feel free to contact us at issa@issa-school.org
Funding:
Stiftung Convivial https://www.convivial.de/
ISSA – Island School of Social Autonomy
Research team:
