Events / Program: Ukraine in European Dialogue

	Title	Date	Type	Speakers	Register
	No End to History	Tue, 01.03.2022	Lecture	Katherine Younger Serhii Plokhii		No End to History Tue, 01.03.2022 Speakers: Katherine Younger Serhii Plokhii Series: Lecture Thirty years ago, the world lived through one of the most optimistic moments of the 20th century. Communism—and the Soviet Union with it—had collapsed, the Cold War had come to an end, and democracy was on the rise around the globe. We are now in probably the grimmest moment since the start of the 21st century. The Cold War is making its way back, hot war has returned to the geographic center of Europe, and democracy is facing the most profound challenges since the end of World War II. Nowhere were the expectations for the arrival of a new era so high, and nowhere did they crash with such tragic consequences, as in the former Soviet space. Looking back, we see that 1991 did not mark the end of history, either as the ideological evolution of humankind or as a scholarly discipline that has documented the lengthy and painful disintegration of most of the world’s empires. What we see today is the continuing process of the disintegration of the USSR, complete with efforts to establish spheres of influence, border disputes, and open warfare. We also see Russia’s return to the international scene as it attempts to claim the role of not only a regional but also a global power, akin to the role played by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. In this lecture Serhii Plokhii will discuss the developments of the last thirty years in the lands that once belonged to the USSR, bringing history in to explain the most recent developments in the region. Read more
No End to History Tue, 01.03.2022 Speakers: Katherine Younger Serhii Plokhii Series: Lecture Thirty years ago, the world lived through one of the most optimistic moments of the 20th century. Communism—and the Soviet Union with it—had collapsed, the Cold War had come to an end, and democracy was on the rise around the globe. We are now in probably the grimmest moment since the start of the 21st century. The Cold War is making its way back, hot war has returned to the geographic center of Europe, and democracy is facing the most profound challenges since the end of World War II. Nowhere were the expectations for the arrival of a new era so high, and nowhere did they crash with such tragic consequences, as in the former Soviet space. Looking back, we see that 1991 did not mark the end of history, either as the ideological evolution of humankind or as a scholarly discipline that has documented the lengthy and painful disintegration of most of the world’s empires. What we see today is the continuing process of the disintegration of the USSR, complete with efforts to establish spheres of influence, border disputes, and open warfare. We also see Russia’s return to the international scene as it attempts to claim the role of not only a regional but also a global power, akin to the role played by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. In this lecture Serhii Plokhii will discuss the developments of the last thirty years in the lands that once belonged to the USSR, bringing history in to explain the most recent developments in the region. Read more
	Maria Winowska and the Search for a Modern (but Illiberal) Central and Eastern Europe	Thu, 24.02.2022	Cancelled	Katherine Younger Piotr Kosicki		Maria Winowska and the Search for a Modern (but Illiberal) Central and Eastern Europe Thu, 24.02.2022 Speakers: Katherine Younger Piotr Kosicki Series: Cancelled The years of the pandemic have witnessed a veritable renaissance of big-picture thinking about the trajectories of Central and Eastern Europe – in particular, about what modernization and modernity have meant for the region. Surprisingly, however, few of these historical accounts break free of classic heuristic assumptions: that liberal modernity was the inevitable endpoint of the region’s modernization (what Holmes and Krastev have decried as mimicry of the West) and that the national community, with the nation-state as its telos, is the most organic unit of analysis through which to approach the region. Read more
Maria Winowska and the Search for a Modern (but Illiberal) Central and Eastern Europe Thu, 24.02.2022 Speakers: Katherine Younger Piotr Kosicki Series: Cancelled The years of the pandemic have witnessed a veritable renaissance of big-picture thinking about the trajectories of Central and Eastern Europe – in particular, about what modernization and modernity have meant for the region. Surprisingly, however, few of these historical accounts break free of classic heuristic assumptions: that liberal modernity was the inevitable endpoint of the region’s modernization (what Holmes and Krastev have decried as mimicry of the West) and that the national community, with the nation-state as its telos, is the most organic unit of analysis through which to approach the region. Read more
	The Future of Belarus in Europe	Tue, 23.11.2021	Panels and Discussions	Katherine Younger Wojciech PrzybylskiSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Christian Ultsch, Franak Viačorka		The Future of Belarus in Europe Tue, 23.11.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Wojciech PrzybylskiSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Christian Ultsch, Franak Viačorka Series: Panels and Discussions What is the place of Belarus on the Western political agenda? How does the current situation impinge on future cooperation? Over the past year Belarus has made its mark Europeans’ mental map as a country with a vibrant civil society and the potential for democratic change. Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime, in power for the last 27 years, has thwarted every attempt at change. He lost the presidential election in August 2020 and is holding society hostage domestically. He has also begun to threaten the EU. Unprecedented pressure is being put on the European block through the weaponization of refugees and migrants from MENA countries, who are brought on purpose to the borders of the EU by the regime. The European Union is seeking ways to respond to this most serious of challenges. That response entails weighing risks and opportunities for the future of the continent. What will the future hold for Belarus in Europe? Read more
The Future of Belarus in Europe Tue, 23.11.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Wojciech PrzybylskiSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Christian Ultsch, Franak Viačorka Series: Panels and Discussions What is the place of Belarus on the Western political agenda? How does the current situation impinge on future cooperation? Over the past year Belarus has made its mark Europeans’ mental map as a country with a vibrant civil society and the potential for democratic change. Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime, in power for the last 27 years, has thwarted every attempt at change. He lost the presidential election in August 2020 and is holding society hostage domestically. He has also begun to threaten the EU. Unprecedented pressure is being put on the European block through the weaponization of refugees and migrants from MENA countries, who are brought on purpose to the borders of the EU by the regime. The European Union is seeking ways to respond to this most serious of challenges. That response entails weighing risks and opportunities for the future of the continent. What will the future hold for Belarus in Europe? Read more
	Ukraine and the Borders of Europe	Mon, 08.11.2021	Seminars and Colloquia	Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Volodymyr Yermolenko		Ukraine and the Borders of Europe Mon, 08.11.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Volodymyr Yermolenko Series: Seminars and Colloquia Volodymyr Yermolenko explored how evolving ideas and imagination of Europe in the 18th-20th centuries shaped evolving ideas and imagination of Ukraine, in particular the image of Ukraine as the “big frontier”. Moving beyond the geographical sense of border/frontier inherent in Ukraine’s name, the focus here is on the mental and geo-philosophical aspect: the evolution of the mental borders of Europe and the concepts, metaphors, and imagination of Europe that shaped and reshaped how Ukraine and the Ukrainian lands have been seen in intellectual history, both from within and from without. Read more
Ukraine and the Borders of Europe Mon, 08.11.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Volodymyr Yermolenko Series: Seminars and Colloquia Volodymyr Yermolenko explored how evolving ideas and imagination of Europe in the 18th-20th centuries shaped evolving ideas and imagination of Ukraine, in particular the image of Ukraine as the “big frontier”. Moving beyond the geographical sense of border/frontier inherent in Ukraine’s name, the focus here is on the mental and geo-philosophical aspect: the evolution of the mental borders of Europe and the concepts, metaphors, and imagination of Europe that shaped and reshaped how Ukraine and the Ukrainian lands have been seen in intellectual history, both from within and from without. Read more
	Belarus ein Jahr nach den Massenprotesten: Wie weiter?	Fri, 10.09.2021	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Ludger HagedornOlga Shparaga		Belarus ein Jahr nach den Massenprotesten: Wie weiter? Fri, 10.09.2021 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Ludger HagedornOlga Shparaga Series: Panels and Discussions Im Sommer und Herbst 2020 erlebte Belarus die größten Massenproteste seiner Geschichte. Sie richteten sich gegen die manipulierten Präsidentschaftswahlen und das autokratische Regime von Aljaksandr Lukaschenka, der das Land seit 1994 regiert. Die Proteste erzeugten eine Aufbruchstimmung im ganzen Land und die Hoffnung auf politischen Wandel. Von der EU wird Lukaschenka seit den Wahlen nicht mehr als rechtmäßiger Staatspräsident anerkannt. Read more
Belarus ein Jahr nach den Massenprotesten: Wie weiter? Fri, 10.09.2021 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Ludger HagedornOlga Shparaga Series: Panels and Discussions Im Sommer und Herbst 2020 erlebte Belarus die größten Massenproteste seiner Geschichte. Sie richteten sich gegen die manipulierten Präsidentschaftswahlen und das autokratische Regime von Aljaksandr Lukaschenka, der das Land seit 1994 regiert. Die Proteste erzeugten eine Aufbruchstimmung im ganzen Land und die Hoffnung auf politischen Wandel. Von der EU wird Lukaschenka seit den Wahlen nicht mehr als rechtmäßiger Staatspräsident anerkannt. Read more
	Inside Tyranny: Belarus and the Power and Non-power of State Terror	Thu, 01.07.2021	Panels and Discussions	Marci Shore Nataliya Gumenyuk Timothy SnyderMaryia Rohava, Aliaksei Kazharski, Radosław Sikorski, Hanna Komar	Register here	Inside Tyranny: Belarus and the Power and Non-power of State Terror Thu, 01.07.2021 Speakers: Marci Shore Nataliya Gumenyuk Timothy SnyderMaryia Rohava, Aliaksei Kazharski, Radosław Sikorski, Hanna Komar Series: Panels and Discussions Immediately following the hijacking of the Ryanair flight and abduction of Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega on 23 May, IWM hosted a discussion posing the question of что делать? (What is to be done?) from the perspective of European Union states: The Hijack. Europe, Belarus, and the Abduction of Roman Protasevich. The following two discussions (the first in German, the second in English) shifted the focus from the European Union to the former Soviet space in an attempt to better understand what is happening inside Belarus itself. In what way is the currently showcased performative-confession-extracted-through-torture reminiscent of Stalinist times, and in what way is there something post-modern about it? What is the relationship between insecurities about masculinity and state terror? How does a “revolution with a woman’s face” open new possibilities for politics, for rebellion against tyranny? Read more
Inside Tyranny: Belarus and the Power and Non-power of State Terror Thu, 01.07.2021 Speakers: Marci Shore Nataliya Gumenyuk Timothy SnyderMaryia Rohava, Aliaksei Kazharski, Radosław Sikorski, Hanna Komar Series: Panels and Discussions Immediately following the hijacking of the Ryanair flight and abduction of Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega on 23 May, IWM hosted a discussion posing the question of что делать? (What is to be done?) from the perspective of European Union states: The Hijack. Europe, Belarus, and the Abduction of Roman Protasevich. The following two discussions (the first in German, the second in English) shifted the focus from the European Union to the former Soviet space in an attempt to better understand what is happening inside Belarus itself. In what way is the currently showcased performative-confession-extracted-through-torture reminiscent of Stalinist times, and in what way is there something post-modern about it? What is the relationship between insecurities about masculinity and state terror? How does a “revolution with a woman’s face” open new possibilities for politics, for rebellion against tyranny? Read more
	Im Innern der Tyrannei: Belarus, oder die Macht und Ohnmacht staatlichen Terrors	Wed, 30.06.2021	Panels and Discussions	Felix Ackermann Jurko Prochasko Ludger Hagedorn Marci ShoreOlga Shparaga, Anna Schor-Tschudnowskaja		Im Innern der Tyrannei: Belarus, oder die Macht und Ohnmacht staatlichen Terrors Wed, 30.06.2021 Speakers: Felix Ackermann Jurko Prochasko Ludger Hagedorn Marci ShoreOlga Shparaga, Anna Schor-Tschudnowskaja Series: Panels and Discussions Unmittelbar nach der Entführung des Ryanair-Fluges und der Verschleppung von Roman Protasewitsch and Sofia Sapega organisierte das IWM am 23. Mai spontan ein Expertenpanel, das sich mit der Frage что делать? (Was tun?) insbesondere aus der Perspektive der Europäischen Union befasste (The Hijack. Europe, Belarus, and the Abduction of Roman Protasevich). Die beiden für den 30 Juni und 1. Juli geplanten Diskussionen (die erste auf Deutsch, die zweite auf Englisch) haben das Augenmerk stärker auf den post-sowjetischen Raum gerichtet und sich insbesondere mit den Auswirkungen des staatlichen Terrors auf die belarusische Gesellschaft befasst: Wie werden die gegenwärtig öffentlich inszenierten (und durch Folter erzwungenen) Geständnisse wahrgenommen? Was erinnert daran an die Schauprozesse der stalinistischen Ära und was ist vielleicht spezifisch postmodern? Wie hängt der staatliche Terror zusammen mit einer tiefgreifenden Krise von Männlichkeit? Wie kann es einer Revolution „mit weiblichem Angesicht“ gelingen, neue Möglichkeiten für die Politik und den Widerstand gegen die Tyrannei zu gewinnen? Read more
Im Innern der Tyrannei: Belarus, oder die Macht und Ohnmacht staatlichen Terrors Wed, 30.06.2021 Speakers: Felix Ackermann Jurko Prochasko Ludger Hagedorn Marci ShoreOlga Shparaga, Anna Schor-Tschudnowskaja Series: Panels and Discussions Unmittelbar nach der Entführung des Ryanair-Fluges und der Verschleppung von Roman Protasewitsch and Sofia Sapega organisierte das IWM am 23. Mai spontan ein Expertenpanel, das sich mit der Frage что делать? (Was tun?) insbesondere aus der Perspektive der Europäischen Union befasste (The Hijack. Europe, Belarus, and the Abduction of Roman Protasevich). Die beiden für den 30 Juni und 1. Juli geplanten Diskussionen (die erste auf Deutsch, die zweite auf Englisch) haben das Augenmerk stärker auf den post-sowjetischen Raum gerichtet und sich insbesondere mit den Auswirkungen des staatlichen Terrors auf die belarusische Gesellschaft befasst: Wie werden die gegenwärtig öffentlich inszenierten (und durch Folter erzwungenen) Geständnisse wahrgenommen? Was erinnert daran an die Schauprozesse der stalinistischen Ära und was ist vielleicht spezifisch postmodern? Wie hängt der staatliche Terror zusammen mit einer tiefgreifenden Krise von Männlichkeit? Wie kann es einer Revolution „mit weiblichem Angesicht“ gelingen, neue Möglichkeiten für die Politik und den Widerstand gegen die Tyrannei zu gewinnen? Read more
	Junior Visiting Fellows’ Conference Summer 2021	Mon, 21.06.2021	Conferences and Workshops	Ayşe Çağlar Ezgican Özdemir Iryna Sklokina Jan Vana Jul Tirler Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Marci Shore Mariia Hupalo Mykhailo Martynenko Gabriela Vicanova Krystof DolezalRosario Forlenza, Dagmar Fink, Oley Kindiy, Costas Constantinou, Sina Farzin		Junior Visiting Fellows’ Conference Summer 2021 Mon, 21.06.2021 Speakers: Ayşe Çağlar Ezgican Özdemir Iryna Sklokina Jan Vana Jul Tirler Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Marci Shore Mariia Hupalo Mykhailo Martynenko Gabriela Vicanova Krystof DolezalRosario Forlenza, Dagmar Fink, Oley Kindiy, Costas Constantinou, Sina Farzin Series: Conferences and Workshops The Junior Visiting Fellows' Conference is a bi-annual event at the Institute for Human Sciences that gives the Junior Fellows to present their work and research in a day-long conference. A traditional, semester-closing, celebration of the talented young researchers that is as old as the Institute itself, is always organized by the Junior Fellows themselves and usually includes Senior Fellows, Staff members and Alumni among others as commentators and discussants. Read more
Junior Visiting Fellows’ Conference Summer 2021 Mon, 21.06.2021 Speakers: Ayşe Çağlar Ezgican Özdemir Iryna Sklokina Jan Vana Jul Tirler Katherine Younger Ludger Hagedorn Marci Shore Mariia Hupalo Mykhailo Martynenko Gabriela Vicanova Krystof DolezalRosario Forlenza, Dagmar Fink, Oley Kindiy, Costas Constantinou, Sina Farzin Series: Conferences and Workshops The Junior Visiting Fellows' Conference is a bi-annual event at the Institute for Human Sciences that gives the Junior Fellows to present their work and research in a day-long conference. A traditional, semester-closing, celebration of the talented young researchers that is as old as the Institute itself, is always organized by the Junior Fellows themselves and usually includes Senior Fellows, Staff members and Alumni among others as commentators and discussants. Read more
	The Universe behind Barbed Wire	Thu, 10.06.2021	Panels and Discussions	Katherine Younger Timothy SnyderMyroslav Marynovych		The Universe behind Barbed Wire Thu, 10.06.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Timothy SnyderMyroslav Marynovych Series: Panels and Discussions In the 1970s, the notion of human rights transformed the landscape of dissent in the Soviet Union. Buoyed by the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, dissidents embraced this new framework, holding the Soviet regime to account and asserting their right to live in such a way that their outer conduct reflected their inner convictions. The regime found this new challenge to the worldview it sought to impose on its citizens deeply threatening and responded with harsh repressive measures, including the arrest of many of the movement's leaders. Read more
The Universe behind Barbed Wire Thu, 10.06.2021 Speakers: Katherine Younger Timothy SnyderMyroslav Marynovych Series: Panels and Discussions In the 1970s, the notion of human rights transformed the landscape of dissent in the Soviet Union. Buoyed by the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, dissidents embraced this new framework, holding the Soviet regime to account and asserting their right to live in such a way that their outer conduct reflected their inner convictions. The regime found this new challenge to the worldview it sought to impose on its citizens deeply threatening and responded with harsh repressive measures, including the arrest of many of the movement's leaders. Read more
	The Hijack	Tue, 25.05.2021	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Krastev Marci Shore Sławomir Sierakowski Timothy Snyder Viktoras BachmetjevasFiona Hill, Martin Malek, Francois Heisbourg		The Hijack Tue, 25.05.2021 Speakers: Ivan Krastev Marci Shore Sławomir Sierakowski Timothy Snyder Viktoras BachmetjevasFiona Hill, Martin Malek, Francois Heisbourg Series: Panels and Discussions On 23 May, a Belarusian fighter plane intercepted Ryanair 4978 and forced the European commercial airliner to land in Minsk. The reporter Roman Protasevich (26), known for his coverage of pro-democracy protests, was then abducted by Belarusian authorities, along with the student Sofia Sapega (23). How can reporters be protected against the use of military force by dictators? And how should the EU react to the state hijacking of an aircraft bound from one EU capital to another? Given Russia’s dominant role in Belarus, might it bear responsibility? Read more
The Hijack Tue, 25.05.2021 Speakers: Ivan Krastev Marci Shore Sławomir Sierakowski Timothy Snyder Viktoras BachmetjevasFiona Hill, Martin Malek, Francois Heisbourg Series: Panels and Discussions On 23 May, a Belarusian fighter plane intercepted Ryanair 4978 and forced the European commercial airliner to land in Minsk. The reporter Roman Protasevich (26), known for his coverage of pro-democracy protests, was then abducted by Belarusian authorities, along with the student Sofia Sapega (23). How can reporters be protected against the use of military force by dictators? And how should the EU react to the state hijacking of an aircraft bound from one EU capital to another? Given Russia’s dominant role in Belarus, might it bear responsibility? Read more