Events

Call for papers Maastricht University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) Dr. Giselle Bosse and Wicke van den Broek Invite paper proposals from PhD candidates, Post-Docs, and early-career researchers writing academic papers on any aspect of contemporary Belarus, Belarusian history, politics, international relations, economy, human rights and democracy or autocracy studies, for the upcoming Maastricht University Belarus in Brussels Workshop To be held at the Maastricht University Brussels Hub, Thursday 19 June 2025, in Brussels, Belgium Please send your proposals to wj.vandenbroek@maastrichtuniversity.nl by 1 April 2025. Proposals should consist of a title of the paper, an abstract of up to 250 words and the title of your research project. You will be notified mid-April whether your abstract is accepted. Successful participants will be asked to submit the written versions of their papers (5000 words in length) by 30 May 2025. During the conference, presenters offer 10-minute-long presentations of their paper. The draft papers will be circulated to allocated discussants (established scholars on Belarusian and European studies) and other workshop participants. The discussants will lead in offering in-depth comments based on the drafts. Ample time will be reserved for further discussion of the drafts. During the workshop we also plan to hold a roundtable with research organisations focusing on Central- and Eastern Europe. NOTE: There is no conference fee. We will contribute to covering travel and accommodation costs for presenters. Coffee and lunch are provided. Organisers: Dr. Giselle Bosse & Wicke van den Broek, Maastricht University. Co-funded by the University Fund Limburg, FASoS and the European Union

If you are interested in joining this academic mission or would like to get more details on the programme, please send an email to eureast@ugent.be

Lecture by David Lewis, Department of Politics, University of Exeter Russia now occupies almost one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. Quite little is known though about its actual post-2022 day-to-day rule and its occupation policies in these areas besides Crimea. In this talk, held on the occasion of the publishing of his book on the subject, professor David Lewis of the University of Exeter will explain how Russia seeks to subjugate and ‘re-format’ the occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces through a mixture of violent repression, political engineering, collaborationism, economic coercion and propaganda. Lewis will elaborate on how Moscow attempts to create an ‘ersatz Novorossiya’ in areas where about half of the pre-war population fled to Western and Central Europe, Russia or non-occupied Ukraine, and where the remainders, though mostly hostile to the occupiers, face uncomfortable daily choices to survive under occupation. This event is organized by the Centre for Russian International Socio-Political and Economic Studies (CERISE) and the Conflict Research Group (CRG) of Ghent University. Admission is free but registration is required.

Tightened censorship in Russia. Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, censorship in Russia has tightened, not only on the press, but also on culture. Artists critical of the war and the Russian state are branded 'foreign agents'. Publishers, bookshops and libraries are considering no longer publishing, selling or lending the books of such foreign agents. Critical media and cultural channels have left the country and are increasingly hampered in their attempts to inform the homeland through popular platforms such as YouTube. Much, but not all, of the responsibility for this development lies with the man who was unexpectedly thrust into the presidency at the end of 1999 and who has since been steadily consolidating his own power base (and that of his closest associates) and the cultural and, by extension, general lack of freedom in Russia. This man is described in the latest novel by former Soviet dissident writer Viktor Yerofeyev as 'The Great Gopnik'. Yerofeyev, whose novels include the infamous "Russian Beauty" (1990) and "The Good Stalin" (2004), began work on his "horror comedy" before the war, but did not publish it until October 2024. On 13 February, the writer will be in Ghent to talk about the role of culture and literature in contemporary Russia. Everyone is welcome, but registration is obligatory. Everyone is also invited to submit questions for the author. These questions can then be addressed during the discussion.

Op 1 februari 2025 om 13.30 uur vindt in het schermtheater Visum Mundi de Nederlandse première plaats van de bekroonde documentaire 09.05.2022 van de jonge Russisch-Amerikaanse regisseur Nicole Philmon. De film biedt een indringend kijkje in de Dag van de Overwinning in Sint-Petersburg, kort na de onthulling van de massamoorden in Boetsja. Met indrukwekkende beelden toont Philmon hoe een op het oog vreugdevolle herdenking langzaam verandert in een massale uiting van haat, aangedreven door propaganda. De documentaire legt op confronterende wijze de spanningen en manipulaties in de Russische samenleving bloot. Na de vertoning zal documentairemaker Jessica Gorter (900 Dagen, The Dmitriev Affair) een gesprek leiden met Nicole Philmon en een expert op het gebied van propaganda en collectieve herinnering. Bezoekers krijgen de kans om vragen te stellen aan de regisseur.

We warmly invite you to join us at VOX-POP on January 30, 5-7 pm, for a new year’s event that embodies a collective spirit of support and generosity – the launch of Book Boost, a new initiative by the University of New Europe. At this event, we treat you to a rich cultural program, featuring readings with authors Dore van Duivenbode and Lisa Weeda, and a mini writing workshop/performance by artists Liza Bukina and Katja Markelova. PhD researcher Anna Greszta, Slavic-studies alumni Marijn Verlangen and Mari Janssen host the programme together with professor Ellen Rutten (Department of Slavic Languages and Cultures, University of Amsterdam). Book Boost is a fundraising project with dual benefits: offering uplifting gifts to at-risk students and academic & arts professionals from Central- and Eastern Europe and supporting the Ukrainian charity Bright Kids, which aids children affected by the Russian aggression. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase prints through donations and participate in a lottery – wonderful prizes await!

In deze experimentele documentaire wil de filmmaker de pijn van haar ouders – overlevenden van de Holocaust en werkkampen – overstemmen met blije herinneringen en bewijs van hun samenzijn. Al meer dan 25 jaar probeert ze hun geheugen en de familiegeschiedenis te beïnvloeden door de kracht van beelden en wishful thinking, om zo het verleden te helen. In deze debuutfilm maakt ze haar ouders tot acteurs in hun eigen verhaal. Het Russische zomerhuis als een verzameling van metaforen, waar tijd niet lineair, maar mythisch is: het verhaal gaat door terwijl het zich herhaalt. De opleiding Slavische Talen en Culturen en studievereniging Radost vertonen haar film - met steun van het Netherlands Institute of Cultural Analysis - in aanwezigheid van de maker, gevolgd door een Q&A.

The documentary 1% of War by Denys Khrystov is a short, impactful film composed of several stories connected by a single location, a specific time frame, and one war. It captures the evacuations of people—and not just people—that took place along the Avdiivka frontline during the final days of fighting for the city.

An evening with Ukrainian residency hosts to explore how they bring a sense of community, solidarity and the much-needed space to create art during wartime.

Join The Moscow Times for Women Against the Kremlin, a groundbreaking event uniting leading women politicians, activists, artists and more from the anti-war, anti-Kremlin movement. Together, they will address these challenges and showcase their strength, resilience and commitment to change.

Ukraine-Plus Lecture by Stefania Kolarz from the Polish Institute of International Affairs

The Groningen Institute for Central and Eastern European Studies (GICEES) would like to cordially invite you to attend an engaging and thought-provoking conference.