An interdisciplinary conference organized by the Ukraine in European Dialogue program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) will be held at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna on 8-10 November 2023.
Ukraine is in the midst of its existential struggle for survival, and although the war is still ongoing, it has already wrought profound transformations upon the Ukrainian topography – both physical and metaphorical. The contours of Ukrainian fields and urban centers have been forever altered, mirroring a shift in mental maps and habits, as well as ideological and social categories. Landscape, in both its literal and symbolic senses, is a useful unifying lens to examine the vast array of phenomena that need to be revisited and reanalyzed. Just as the war itself has exposed our deep global interconnectivity, the many landscapes of ecology, emotions, inclusivity, solidarity, anti-colonialism, justice, and the like must be reinscribed in a global context. How has Russia’s ecological destruction altered Ukrainians’ understanding of climate justice in general? To what extent is the Ukrainian landscape of inclusion and diversity, which has been transformed by the war, part of a global struggle for the rights of the disabled, LGBTQ+, indigenous people, and other marginalized groups? How do the frames of decoloniality shape Ukrainians’ understanding of global decolonial struggles or their conceptualizations of justice and solidarity?
We welcome scholars and cultural workers of various disciplines and methodologies to take part in Ukraine’s Altered Landscapes to reflect together on these and related questions. Scholars in all phases of their careers are very welcome. The Institute for Human Sciences will cover travel costs and accommodation for all participants.
Interested participants should submit a brief paper abstract (300 words) along with a CV to ukraine@iwm.at by 18 September 2023. Selected participants will be informed by 29 September 2023.
