The event was dedicated to the challenging topic of “The Future of Slavic / Transnational Studies in the Context of Eastern Europe” with an academic panel, followed by discussions amongst participants. Dr Tetiana Portnova, our keynote lecturer, research associate 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? “. As our colleague from New Europe College in Bucharest, program coordinator Ana-Maria Sîrghi remarked: ‘A very timely question to reflect upon, this field of study seems to be at crossroads nowadays, going through deep transformations. The participants in the workshop agreed that the war has forced them to reconsider long-standing paradigms in their research, advocate for a more inclusive and decolonized approach especially in the fields of Literature and History, but not only, and engage more actively with contemporary political realities (for example, the use of Russian academic research papers as insidious propaganda tools, to name just a topic)’.
The main focus of the other workshop panels was on the fellows’ opinions, direct feedback, and ideas for developing the Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship program at CAS and NEC. The debate not only outlined the struggles of the Ukrainian academia but also noted the positive outcomes as a result of SUS, namely the provision of vital support for continuing with scientific work at times of ongoing war, an opportunity to work in a safe environment, access to archival and library resources, opening the path to an international career and additional funding to reconnect with displaced colleagues and students. All participants expressed great gratitude for being part of a community that reconnects scholars in Ukraine and abroad and helps them return to a modicum of normal scientific life.
On the second day of the event, the researchers had a cultural program, featuring a sightseeing tour in Sofia, a visit to the Sofia Archeological Museum and a tribute visit to the memorial gravestones of prominent Ukrainian intellectual Mikhaylo Dragomanov and sculptor Mykhailo Parashchuk at the Central Sofia Cemetery with a lecture by Prof. Sergii Strashniuk, Maryn Drynov Center for Bulgarian and Balkan Studies at the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.
In total, 23 participants attended the workshop. 10 Ukrainian fellows could visit CAS in Sofia, of whom three Ukrainian male fellows (non-resident due to martial law) have made a substantial effort to cross the border after a 24-hour travel journey from Ukraine, and five male fellows could join us only online.
This event was organized within the Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship (SUS) fellowship program, hosted jointly by the New Europe College Bucharest and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia with the support of the VolkswagenStiftung.
