Past Events

	Title	Date	Type	Speakers
	Idealism and Capitalism: Two Sides of the Beginnings of Private Higher Education in the Czech Republic	Tue, 19.04.2022, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Ludger Hagedorn Milada Polišenská	Idealism and Capitalism: Two Sides of the Beginnings of Private Higher Education in the Czech Republic Tue, 19.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Ludger Hagedorn Milada Polišenská Series: Seminars and Colloquia The lecture will focus on the origins and early years of private colleges in the Czech Republic. Polišenská’s earlier research on this topic will be supplemented by the findings in the framework of her Fellowship investigating the impact of underground universities on the post-communist transformation of tertiary education in Czechia. The private higher education in Czechia, preconditioned by the collapse of Communism, was part of the post-communist transformation and was impacted by the dynamic international changes in higher education in the late 1990s and by the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU in 2004. Read more
Idealism and Capitalism: Two Sides of the Beginnings of Private Higher Education in the Czech Republic Tue, 19.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Ludger Hagedorn Milada Polišenská Series: Seminars and Colloquia The lecture will focus on the origins and early years of private colleges in the Czech Republic. Polišenská’s earlier research on this topic will be supplemented by the findings in the framework of her Fellowship investigating the impact of underground universities on the post-communist transformation of tertiary education in Czechia. The private higher education in Czechia, preconditioned by the collapse of Communism, was part of the post-communist transformation and was impacted by the dynamic international changes in higher education in the late 1990s and by the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU in 2004. Read more
	Denial, Ignorance and Wilful Unknowing: The Episteme of the Israeli Occupation	Mon, 11.04.2022, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Merav Amir Mieke Verloo	Denial, Ignorance and Wilful Unknowing: The Episteme of the Israeli Occupation Mon, 11.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Merav Amir Mieke Verloo Series: Seminars and Colloquia To the external onlooker, a puzzling predicament plagues Israeli politics. While the majority of Jewish-Israelis state that they support reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians abiding by the two-state solution, this public still has been repeatedly electing leaders who oppose reaching such an agreement for over two decades to date. Most often, this apparent anomaly is explained through the disillusion of Jewish-Israelis from the peace process, which has swayed the Israeli electoral power towards nationalistic hardliners. However, a more fundamental change has occurred in this period, rendering the question of the position of the Jewish-Israeli electorate towards peace obsolete. Accordingly, Jewish-Israelis are increasingly becoming ignorant regarding the causes fueling regional hostilities: that Israel maintains an occupation, and that Israel is holding millions of Palestinians as occupied subjects under a military rule. This talk explored the political technologies and discursive strategies through which this ignorance has been induced, and how the politico-spatiality of the occupied Palestinian territory has so successfully been eradicated from the collective Israeli consciousness. Through this analysis Merav Amir demonstrated that this epistemic reshaping has not only reconfigured the geography of the Israeli polity for this public, but has also warped the region’s political time, and disrupted the State’s own political trajectory, as it bestows the (presumed) future eventuality onto the present. Read more
Denial, Ignorance and Wilful Unknowing: The Episteme of the Israeli Occupation Mon, 11.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Merav Amir Mieke Verloo Series: Seminars and Colloquia To the external onlooker, a puzzling predicament plagues Israeli politics. While the majority of Jewish-Israelis state that they support reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians abiding by the two-state solution, this public still has been repeatedly electing leaders who oppose reaching such an agreement for over two decades to date. Most often, this apparent anomaly is explained through the disillusion of Jewish-Israelis from the peace process, which has swayed the Israeli electoral power towards nationalistic hardliners. However, a more fundamental change has occurred in this period, rendering the question of the position of the Jewish-Israeli electorate towards peace obsolete. Accordingly, Jewish-Israelis are increasingly becoming ignorant regarding the causes fueling regional hostilities: that Israel maintains an occupation, and that Israel is holding millions of Palestinians as occupied subjects under a military rule. This talk explored the political technologies and discursive strategies through which this ignorance has been induced, and how the politico-spatiality of the occupied Palestinian territory has so successfully been eradicated from the collective Israeli consciousness. Through this analysis Merav Amir demonstrated that this epistemic reshaping has not only reconfigured the geography of the Israeli polity for this public, but has also warped the region’s political time, and disrupted the State’s own political trajectory, as it bestows the (presumed) future eventuality onto the present. Read more
	Years that Changed the Face of Europe: 1989 and 2022	Wed, 06.04.2022, 18:00	Exhibition	Dariusz Stola Katherine Younger Ludger HagedornTimothy Garton Ash	Years that Changed the Face of Europe: 1989 and 2022 Wed, 06.04.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Dariusz Stola Katherine Younger Ludger HagedornTimothy Garton Ash Series: Exhibition In his talk, Timothy Garton Ash reflected upon the years 1989 and 2022 as dramatic events that “change the face of Europe for ever,” as the title of his Guardian column put it. The presentation was followed by a discussion with Polish historian Dariusz Stola (like Garton Ash a member of the IWM’s Board) and IWM Permanent Fellow Ludger Hagedorn. The event was moderated by IWM Permanent Fellow Katherine Younger. Read more
Years that Changed the Face of Europe: 1989 and 2022 Wed, 06.04.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Dariusz Stola Katherine Younger Ludger HagedornTimothy Garton Ash Series: Exhibition In his talk, Timothy Garton Ash reflected upon the years 1989 and 2022 as dramatic events that “change the face of Europe for ever,” as the title of his Guardian column put it. The presentation was followed by a discussion with Polish historian Dariusz Stola (like Garton Ash a member of the IWM’s Board) and IWM Permanent Fellow Ludger Hagedorn. The event was moderated by IWM Permanent Fellow Katherine Younger. Read more
	How Does - And How Should - The EU Tell Europe’s Story to the World?	Tue, 05.04.2022, 18:00	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Julia De Clerck-Sachsse Luuk van MiddelaarNathalie Tocci	How Does - And How Should - The EU Tell Europe’s Story to the World? Tue, 05.04.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Julia De Clerck-Sachsse Luuk van MiddelaarNathalie Tocci Series: Panels and Discussions In addition to the battlefield, today’s confrontation of alternative ideologies is increasingly playing out in the realm of words. States and non-state actors alike routinely use disinformation and ‘alternative facts’ to sow confusion, breed fear, and undermine trust. In this brave new world, a compelling narrative will be paramount for the survival of the European project. How can the European Union best tell its story in these difficult times? Read more
How Does - And How Should - The EU Tell Europe’s Story to the World? Tue, 05.04.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Julia De Clerck-Sachsse Luuk van MiddelaarNathalie Tocci Series: Panels and Discussions In addition to the battlefield, today’s confrontation of alternative ideologies is increasingly playing out in the realm of words. States and non-state actors alike routinely use disinformation and ‘alternative facts’ to sow confusion, breed fear, and undermine trust. In this brave new world, a compelling narrative will be paramount for the survival of the European project. How can the European Union best tell its story in these difficult times? Read more
	Governance of Forced Migration in South Asia	Tue, 05.04.2022, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Ayşe ÇağlarSabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury	Governance of Forced Migration in South Asia Need for a Decolonial Approach Tue, 05.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Ayşe ÇağlarSabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury Series: Seminars and Colloquia The world has been witnessing frequent mixed and massive flows of population in the recent times, when refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants on the move together can hardly be differentiated. The New York Declaration 2016, and its two Global Compacts—the “Global Compact on Refugees” (GCR) and the “Global Compact on Safe Orderly and Regular Migration” (GCM)—raised expectations for better governance of international human migration by committingitself to securing the rights and protection of refugees and migrants in the context of human rights discourse and working toward sustainable development. But even this laudable initiative seems to have been triggered specifically by Europe’s reaction to its 2015 “crisis” and the disconcerting images that circulated as migrants and refugees from different parts of the world crossed the Mediterranean to reach European shores, with many perishing in the sea. Read more
Governance of Forced Migration in South Asia Need for a Decolonial Approach Tue, 05.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Ayşe ÇağlarSabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury Series: Seminars and Colloquia The world has been witnessing frequent mixed and massive flows of population in the recent times, when refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants on the move together can hardly be differentiated. The New York Declaration 2016, and its two Global Compacts—the “Global Compact on Refugees” (GCR) and the “Global Compact on Safe Orderly and Regular Migration” (GCM)—raised expectations for better governance of international human migration by committingitself to securing the rights and protection of refugees and migrants in the context of human rights discourse and working toward sustainable development. But even this laudable initiative seems to have been triggered specifically by Europe’s reaction to its 2015 “crisis” and the disconcerting images that circulated as migrants and refugees from different parts of the world crossed the Mediterranean to reach European shores, with many perishing in the sea. Read more
	Ukraine and the Future of Europe	Tue, 05.04.2022, 14:00	Conferences and Workshops	Ivan Vejvoda Katherine YoungerTimothy Garton Ash	Ukraine and the Future of Europe Tue, 05.04.2022, 14:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Katherine YoungerTimothy Garton Ash Series: Conferences and Workshops As Ukrainians resist the Russian assault on their country, they speak powerfully of defending the principles and values on which the European project rests, and of Ukraine's place in Europe. The war has opened an opportunity for the European Union to reaffirm its purpose, as not merely an economic union but a normative alliance. Will this moment of European unity and resolve lead to lasting change? What can Ukraine expect from Europe? And what can Europe learn from Ukraine? Read more
Ukraine and the Future of Europe Tue, 05.04.2022, 14:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Katherine YoungerTimothy Garton Ash Series: Conferences and Workshops As Ukrainians resist the Russian assault on their country, they speak powerfully of defending the principles and values on which the European project rests, and of Ukraine's place in Europe. The war has opened an opportunity for the European Union to reaffirm its purpose, as not merely an economic union but a normative alliance. Will this moment of European unity and resolve lead to lasting change? What can Ukraine expect from Europe? And what can Europe learn from Ukraine? Read more
	Tempering Power	Mon, 04.04.2022, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Adam Sitze Ludger Hagedorn Martin Krygier	Tempering Power How to Think, and Not to Think, about and beyond the Rule of Law. Mon, 04.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Adam Sitze Ludger Hagedorn Martin Krygier Series: Seminars and Colloquia The rule of law came to enjoy unprecedented acclaim after (and, it can be argued, directly because of) the collapse of communism in Europe. In recent decades, and throughout the world, there has likely been more said, paid, and promoted in its name than ever before. But quantity has not always gone together with quality. The rule of law has been the beneficiary of many more stale words than fresh thoughts. And today its aura has dimmed. Yet it is hugely important to think well about it and find better ways. Read more
Tempering Power How to Think, and Not to Think, about and beyond the Rule of Law. Mon, 04.04.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Adam Sitze Ludger Hagedorn Martin Krygier Series: Seminars and Colloquia The rule of law came to enjoy unprecedented acclaim after (and, it can be argued, directly because of) the collapse of communism in Europe. In recent decades, and throughout the world, there has likely been more said, paid, and promoted in its name than ever before. But quantity has not always gone together with quality. The rule of law has been the beneficiary of many more stale words than fresh thoughts. And today its aura has dimmed. Yet it is hugely important to think well about it and find better ways. Read more
	Ideological Fluidity of Collective National Rights	Mon, 28.03.2022, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Adam Sitze Oskar Mulej	Ideological Fluidity of Collective National Rights The Case of Interwar National Minority Activism in Europe Mon, 28.03.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Adam Sitze Oskar Mulej Series: Seminars and Colloquia Conferring collective rights to various kinds of subnational groups has been and remains a controversial subject. A legal device for empowering ethnic and other minorities, collective rights may also present a solid challenge for liberal polities and are often perceived as potentially encroaching on individual liberty, legal equality, as well as national sovereignty. Read more
Ideological Fluidity of Collective National Rights The Case of Interwar National Minority Activism in Europe Mon, 28.03.2022, 16:00 Speakers: Adam Sitze Oskar Mulej Series: Seminars and Colloquia Conferring collective rights to various kinds of subnational groups has been and remains a controversial subject. A legal device for empowering ethnic and other minorities, collective rights may also present a solid challenge for liberal polities and are often perceived as potentially encroaching on individual liberty, legal equality, as well as national sovereignty. Read more
	Benefizabend mit Andrej Kurkow	Thu, 24.03.2022, 19:30	Other	Andrei Kurkov	Benefizabend mit Andrej Kurkow Lesung und Gespräch zur Lage in der Ukraine Thu, 24.03.2022, 19:30 Speakers: Andrei Kurkov Series: Other Der ukrainische Schriftsteller Andrej Kurkow las aus einigen seiner literarischen Werke und war im Gespräch über die Situation in der Ukraine. Read more

	The Limits of Migration Control	Tue, 22.03.2022, 18:00	Lecture	Dariusz Stola Ivan Vejvoda Ranabir Samaddar	The Limits of Migration Control What We Can Learn from Polish Communists (now that they are gone) Tue, 22.03.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Dariusz Stola Ivan Vejvoda Ranabir Samaddar Series: Lecture Thanks to a historically unprecedented system of police control, transnational mobility from European communist states is probably the best documented social phenomenon of its kind and a unique experiment in the limits of the state control of mobility. This lecture presented some of the conclusions of Stola’s research project on migrations from communist Poland. These migrations underwent a marked evolution, from the movement of millions of people in the 1940s; to almost nil under the non-exit policy of the early 1950s; to the reemergence and gradual expansion of transnational mobility, especially within the Soviet bloc, between 1956 and 1980; to mass population flows in the late 1980s. Each trip outside the bloc, and indeed each trip abroad for most of the duration of communist rule, required applying for a permit from the Security Service. This procedure resulted in an archival collection of passport files that fills some 60 kilometers of shelf space. Despite the constraints, more than two million people eventually left Poland for good, and temporary movements occurred on a mass scale, pioneering forms of mobility that continued well after 1989. This lecture shed light on the key factors and currents of migration in communist Poland, as well as the evolution of the migration regime, from early imitation of the Soviet model to its eventual implosion. Read more
The Limits of Migration Control What We Can Learn from Polish Communists (now that they are gone) Tue, 22.03.2022, 18:00 Speakers: Dariusz Stola Ivan Vejvoda Ranabir Samaddar Series: Lecture Thanks to a historically unprecedented system of police control, transnational mobility from European communist states is probably the best documented social phenomenon of its kind and a unique experiment in the limits of the state control of mobility. This lecture presented some of the conclusions of Stola’s research project on migrations from communist Poland. These migrations underwent a marked evolution, from the movement of millions of people in the 1940s; to almost nil under the non-exit policy of the early 1950s; to the reemergence and gradual expansion of transnational mobility, especially within the Soviet bloc, between 1956 and 1980; to mass population flows in the late 1980s. Each trip outside the bloc, and indeed each trip abroad for most of the duration of communist rule, required applying for a permit from the Security Service. This procedure resulted in an archival collection of passport files that fills some 60 kilometers of shelf space. Despite the constraints, more than two million people eventually left Poland for good, and temporary movements occurred on a mass scale, pioneering forms of mobility that continued well after 1989. This lecture shed light on the key factors and currents of migration in communist Poland, as well as the evolution of the migration regime, from early imitation of the Soviet model to its eventual implosion. Read more