CEE as Subject or Object? Perspectives on CEE Studies in the Global Public Discourse - Video

In this panel discussion we aim to wrap up the conference by considering the status of Central and East European Studies within a global context. Russia’s war against Ukraine has certainly brought focus to the region, and it is to be hoped that – given the naked imperialism of Putin’s invasion – a reassessment of the political, cultural, and historical character of Central and Eastern Europe will be called for within academia worldwide. But is this in fact happening? Can we say that Central and Eastern Europe as a distinct region has obtained its own agency, and that research in and of this area has become more subject oriented? We will ask, too, about the relationship between scientific discourse and political discourse – is the former guided by the latter, and if so to what effect? How shall CEE Studies be positioned within the global “marketplace of ideas”? What are the unique characteristics and challenges of the CEE discourse, and what might it potentially contribute to Western scholarship? Lastly, we shall consider which research perspectives are most useful and need further exploration, and how researchers across disciplines might find ways to address these needs.

Moderator: Dr. Ian Garner, Center for Totalitarian Studies, Pilecki Institute

Panelists:
Prof. John Micgiel, East European Centre, University of Warsaw
Dr. Tetiana Portnova, University of Potsdam
Prof. Mark Kramer, Harvard University
Prof. Igor Kąkolweski, Centre for Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin