Studio Central and Eastern Europe

Olivera Simic on the experience of interviewing war criminals and victims

Olivera Simic, an associate professor at Griffith University in Australia, discusses war criminals in the Balkans who escape justice and live undisturbed lives in neighboring countries. She also delves into her decision to write an entire book about Biljana Plavšić, the former President of Republika Srpska, who was later convicted of crimes against humanity. The interview is hosted by Heleen Toquet, a fellow at KU Leuven and a visiting professor at the University of Antwerp.

Amra Sabić-El-Rayess on the importance of storytelling and how war experience can help resilience to hatred

Can the experience of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina help prevent radicalization of schoolchildren as far as the United States? According to Amra Sabić-El-Rayess, a writer and associated professor at the Columbia university, it can. For it shows that the very origin of hatred and radicalization is not some inherent badness in people, but their perceived invisibility, sense of not belonging. 
This is an edited version of the lecture given by Amra Sabić-El-Rayess at the University of Antwerp on April 25, 2024.

Jan Grzymski on voting as an act of asserting identity in Poland, and on his strategic game How to Win Brexit

In this episode of Studio FCEE, Polish political scientist Jan Grzymski offers an insightful analysis of Poland's post-election landscape. Following the defeat of the United Right alliance, a coalition of three parties, led by Donald Tusk, assumed power. Grzymski suggests that the previous government's conservative reforms polarized the electorate, turning the elections into a battleground of identities and explaining the significant turnover in October 2023. Interviewed by political scientist Peter Vermeersch at KU Leuven, Grzymski delves into the ethical quandaries inherited by the new government. In this podcast, he also tells the story of his growingly popular strategic game How to win Brexit. 

Anna Matyska on the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland

Anthropologist Anna Matyska, a KU Leuven researcher who recently joined the team at Warsaw University, delves into her research on Ukrainian migrants in Poland. Her focus lies in understanding how war has reshaped the emotional and daily lives of long-term Ukrainian migrants in Poland and their ties to their homeland. Her work examines the emotional dimensions of their experiences, and in this interview she addresses the complexities of interviewing individuals who have endured recent emotional turmoil. She also speaks of the impact of the 1.2 million-strong Ukrainian migrant community on Polish society. Matyska discusses her work with Maryna Shevtsova, a senior researcher at KU Leuven's Faculty of Social Sciences.
 
 

Hear Our Voices: Tamara Martsenyuk on gender roles of men and alternative masculinity in Ukraine

Sociologist Tamara Martsenyuk speaks of how the war in Ukraine reshaped the gender roles of men. She dwells on the new forms of alternative masculinity, observed in the country. This study is featured in a chapter within the recently published edited volume "Feminist Perspectives on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices" (Lexington Books, 2024). Her presentation was recorded during the book's unveiling at the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe at KU Leuven on March 26, 2024.

Hear Our Voices: Katsiaryna Lozka on the female activism in support of Ukraine in Belarus

Katsiaryna Lozka, a PhD candidate in Political Science at Ghent University, presents her research on pro-Ukrainian female activism in Belarus. This study is featured in a chapter within the recently published edited volume "Feminist Perspectives on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices" (Lexington Books, 2024). Her presentation was recorded during the book's unveiling at the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe at KU Leuven on March 26, 2024.

Hear Our Voices: Olena Strelnyk on how war in Ukraine changes the social ideas of femininity

Sociologist Olena Strelnyk shares insights from her research on the influence of the Ukrainian conflict on the societal construct of femininity. This study is featured in a chapter within the recently published edited volume "Feminist Perspectives on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices" (Lexington Books, 2024). Her presentation was recorded during the book's presentation at the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe at KU Leuven on March 26, 2024.

Maryna Shevtsova introduces Feminist Perspective on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices

Maryna Shevtsova, senior FWO researcher at KU Leuven, introduces the edited volume Feminist Perspective on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices, which was published in February 2024, and three of the authors. The recording was made during the 26 March event at KU Leuven.

Chiara Bonfiglioli on women's activism and the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War

In this podcast, Chiara Bonfiglioli, associate professor in contemporary history at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, speaks of the women's movement in non-aligned countries during the Cold War. Interviewed by Ana Devic, a Marie Curie fellow at KU Leuven, Bonfiglioli shares narratives of cross-border friendship and vibrant energy, of resilience and camaraderie, which she found in the archives and biographical writings of female activists in South-East Europe and Italy. The podcast is an episode of the Studio FCEE series, produced by the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe at KU Leuven.

Alexander Maxwell on nationalism in daily life in C19th Central Europe

Alexander Maxwell, professor at the University of Wellington, discusses his research on 'mustache patriotism' and nationalism in daily life, Pan-Slavism, and linguistic ideologies in 19th-century Central Europe during an interview hosted by Kris Van Heuckelom.