Conference reports

international relations in the age of anxiety

In June 2019, scholars came together in Belgrade for the CEEISA-ISA Joint Conference to discuss international relations in the age of anxiety. The current increase in international populist discourse and far-right movements and the democratic regression in Central and Eastern Europe were the focal point of the discussion. Questions that arose revolved around whether there are any prospects for reconciliation as a way to de-escalate the violence in the world.

By Cagla Demirel December 30, 2019

Berlin and Europe 1989 and now

On May 13--14, 2019 the Körber History Forum took place, where some 200 experts on European history and politics had gathered in the capital of Germany to discuss current European affairs and global issues. In particular, the imminent threat of Russia and the historical roots of the return of “strong leaders” in European politics were in focus in this year’s debates.

By Joakim Ekman June 18, 2019

Authoritarian regimes stifle academic freedom

On the 6th of May this year, Baltic Worlds arranged a seminar at CBEES on the topic of the shrinking space for academic freedom. Updated reports from Poland and Hungary was followed by a presentation of the autocratic learning process in Eurasia. Finally there were suggestions on how protect academic freedom and work for international scholarly solidarity.

By Ninna Mörner May 9, 2019

On recent developments affecting academic institutions in Hungary

In my contribution I would like to provide an assessment of what has happened over the past two years in Hungary, how academics have been reacting, and finish with a few thoughts regarding academia in that country and beyond. My focus should and will be on the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

By Péter Balogh May 8, 2019

Urban and Rural Transformation

Over 40 researchers representing countries spanning from Ukraine to the United States and from Sweden to Serbia gathered in Prague to explore the changing roles of rural and urban cultural heritages in post-socialist countries.

By Paul Sherfey March 7, 2019

Cease identification with territory, gender, race, and class

Usually, this triennial takes place in Lithuania, as it has since its foundation in the year 1979. But now, due to the celebration of the centennial of the restored three Baltic states, Kestutis Kuizinas, the leader of the Contemporary Art Centre, decided to suggest that they work collaboratively. Thematically, the 13th Baltic Triennial’s three-part format also shaped the way it was realized.

By Charlotte Bydler March 7, 2019

Spatial imagination and political notions of the Baltic Sea Region

Among many topics in the concluding discussion, there were some reflections from the participants on how to relate to the changing definitions and redefinitions of concepts like regionalism and nation as well as the relevance of these ideas in a period of speedy change. A suggestion was that that the populations in the Baltic Sea region perhaps practice regionalism in everyday life but think in nation-state terms when it comes to politics, and this is but one of many challenges for historians and political scientists to address in future research.

By Anna Hedén and Thomas Lundén March 7, 2019

Postsocialist Revolutions of Intimacy

 “Postsocialist Revolutions of Intimacy: Sexuality, Rights and Backlash”, Workshop October 1–2, 2018. The workshop was organized by CBEES, Centre for […]

By Yulia Gradskova March 7, 2019

The idea of Russian cultural heritage

What the symposium emphasized was the processes that led to the emergence of the cultural techniques and institutions as well as the conceptual apparatus to deal in practice with the suddenly highly desired Russian cultural heritage. Another focus was on the reception of the Western tradition by the Russian educated society, which took place in parallel with, and sometimes conceptually intertwined with, the re-opening of the Russian tradition.

By Anna Kharkina March 7, 2019

 Retracing solidarity

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje has created a new program named ‘Radical Education’, designed by Tihomir Topuzovski and Kumjana Novakova. The program started on October 17, 2018 with a lecture “The Art of Political Imagination” by professor Stephen Duncombe. It continued on October 29 and 30 with a workshop by Forensic Architecture, an independent research agency.

By Tihomir Topuzovski March 7, 2019