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 (NEC) in Bucharest, program coordinator Ana-Maria Sîrghi remarked: ‘A very timely question to reflect upon, this field of study seems to be at a 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)’.
In the second part of the workshop, the fellows were given the word to share the challenges they had faced in their academic careers since the start of the war and their direct feedback for the Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship (SUS) program. The round-table not only outlined the struggles of the Ukrainian academia but also noted the many positive outcomes as a result of SUS, namely the provision of vital support for continuing with scientific work, 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. On the second day of the event, the researchers had a busy 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. Prof. Sergii Strashniuk (Maryn Drynov Center for Bulgarian and Balkan Studies at the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University) was invited to share the stories about the lives of these two extraordinary personalities, which provided surprising insights into the close ties between Bulgaria and Ukraine at the end of the 19th century.
In total, 23 participants attended the 2-day workshop, including our partners from NEC, the University of St.Gallen and the Virtual Ukraine Institute for Advanced Study (VUIAS). 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. All SUS fellows expressed great gratitude for being part of a community that bridges scholars in Ukraine and abroad and helps them return to a modicum of normal scientific life.
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.