The topic of the workshop was „The Future of Slavic / Transnational Studies in the Context of Eastern Europe“. The event consisted of an academic panel, followed by discussions amongst the participants. The keynote lecturer, Dr Tetiana Portnova, Research Fellow at Potsdam University and a former fellow of the VolkswagenStiftung (2023), spoke on the subject of „Reshaping Ukrainian and East European Studies: Achievements, Difficulties, Perspectives?“.
The main focus of the workshop was on fellows’ opinions, direct feedback and ideas for developing the Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship program at CAS and NEC. In total, 23 participants attended the event. Nine Ukrainian fellows travelled to Sofia and five others joined online. The discussion outlined the current struggles of Ukrainian academia but also took note of the positive outcomes of the SUS project, such as the provision of vital support for continuing scientific work at times of crisis; the opportunity to work in a safe environment; access to archival and library resources; opening the path to an international career; additional funding to reconnect with displaced colleagues and students. Most importantly, the programme brings together excellent scholars worldwide, enabling the SUS fellows to present their projects to an international audience and expand their professional networks, both within Ukraine and abroad.
The full event programme can be found here: Link
This event is organised within the Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship (SUS) fellowship program, hosted jointly by the New Europe College, Bucharest and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia, in partnership with VUIAS, and with the generous support of the VolkswagenStiftung.