“Eastern Europe’s Invisibilities: Epistemics, Politics, Arts”
Inaugural conference of the Institute for Slavic and East European Studies (ISOS) at the University of Zurich, 6–8 May 2026
The University of Zurich established the Institute for Slavic and East European Studies (ISOS) in January 2026 to strengthen interdisciplinary research on Eastern Europe. This new interdisciplinary institute specialises in the analysis of contemporary historical, cultural, social, linguistic and political developments in Eastern, South-Eastern and Central Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The official opening of ISOS was celebrated with the international conference ‘Eastern Europe’s Invisibilities: Politics, Epistemics, Arts’ in May 2026.
Programm
Mittwoch, 06. Mai 2026
Ort: Aula, KOL-G-201 | Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zürich
15:30 – 17:30 Uhr | Panel I: Colonial Invisibilities in Eastern Europe
-
Referierende: Prof. Dr. Manuela Boatcă (Universität Freiburg), Dr. Mart Kuldkepp (UCL), Dr. Jasmin Mujanović (LA)
-
Chair: Dr. Botakoz Kassymbekova
Donnerstag, 07. Mai 2026
Ort: KO2-F-152 | Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich
09:30 – 11:30 Uhr | Panel II: Invisible Languages and Speakers
-
Referierende: Tobias Alexander Herrmann (Universität Köln), Dr. Katrin Karl (Universität Bern), Dr. Katharina Tyran (Universität Helsinki)
-
Chairs: Dr. Cristiana Lucchetti & Aleksej Tikhonov (UZH)
12:30 – 13:15 Uhr | Panel III: Invisible Academia: Of Pseudo-Science, Extinguished Research and Invisible Universities
-
Referierende: Prof. Dr. Andrea Pető (CEU, Vienna), Prof. Dr. Balázs Trencsényi (CEU, Vienna & Invisible University)
-
Moderation: PD Dr. Katharina Gerund (UZH) & Prof. Dr. Julia Richers (Universität Bern)
15:00 – 17:00 Uhr | Panel IV: Civil Society, Social Movements, and (Invisible) Resistance
-
Referierende: Mariam Bibilashvili (CEES - Fellow; Universität Masaryk, Brno), Dr. Jan Matti Dollbaum (Universität Fribourg), Valentina Petrović (Universität Wien)
-
Chair: Prof. Dr. Jeronim Perović (UZH)
Freitag, 08. Mai 2026
Ort: KO2-F-152 | Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich
10:00 – 13:15 Uhr | Panel V: Negotiating (In)Visibility
-
Referierende: Éva Forgács (Universitä Pasadena), Dr. Emese Kürti (Central European Research Institute for Art History, Universität Budapest), Prof. Dr. Dorota Sajewska (Universiätä Bochum)
-
Chairs: Prof. Dr. Tomáš Glanc & Matthias Meindl (UZH)
14:45 – 17:00 Uhr | Panel VI: Secret Services and the Production of Invisibility
-
Referierende: Andriy Kohut (Director of the Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine), Evgenija Lezina (Leibniz Center for Contemporary History, Universität Potsdam), Ilija Trojanow (Universität Wien)
Weitere Informationen finden Sie im Konferenzflyer: 20260503_KickOffConference ISOS (PDF, 2 MB)