Our group was formed in December 2021 as part of the course “Narrative and Discourse Analysis” offered by the Department of Language and Intercultural Studies at the University of Thessaly in Volos. The course instructor, Roula Kitsiou, served as the catalyst for the creation of this research group, which she continues to coordinate to this day. Starting with a study of the linguistic landscape of childhood, as it is constructed through playgrounds and toy stores, we initially shaped the group’s research interests, gained an understanding of what research entails, and recognized the importance of space in giving meaning to our embodied experience within it.

Over the years, we had the opportunity to engage in various research projects, such as the linguistic landscapes of detention facilities (e.g., ACTinPRISON), the linguistic landscape of the university as a workplace (see Lang@Work), prohibitions in urban spaces, and educational linguistic landscapes in schools (see the collective volume “School Linguistic Landscapes: Sociolinguistic & Educational Interconnections,” published by Diadrasi), and reception centers for unaccompanied minors (see Rhizo-Eduscapes, rhizoeduscapes.gdia.uth.gr), among others.

Our group consists of 15 members at various academic levels, including undergraduate and graduate students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers. Our group is based in Volos, but due to our members’ diverse backgrounds and their travel to other cities – both within and outside Greece – our meetings are held in a hybrid format, online and in person in the center of Volos, or – more creatively – in the “in-between” space: office 10 and ¾.

At the start of each academic year, we bring new ideas and new research questions to the group, setting a core research goal around which we organize our meetings and activities. However, new ideas and questions seem to constantly emerge. Every summer, we organize the group’s annual conference titled “Disrupting Normal: Becoming Researchers” in person in Volos, which is a student-centered process of sharing our research activities and opening a dialogue with other members of the academic, research, and student communities.