Powered by mass accretion onto super-massive black holes, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are undoubtedly exotic phenomena. According to most theoretical models of galaxy formation, AGN have also had a profound impact on the way the Universe looks today. However, AGN activity is, in another sense, a common phenomenon: the finding that essentially all massive galaxies host a central supermassive black hole clearly indicates that these galaxies have all hosted AGN activity at some point during their lives. Are these AGN phases a special period in the lifetime of the galaxy that require specific environmental conditions, or are they simply a random event that can occur at any time in any galaxy?
The objective of this 5 day international workshop is to bring together observers and theorists to explore the environmental dependence and global impact of AGN activity.