Workshops 2025/2026

Summary of the proposal:

The workshops Anthropocene Ruptures: Crossing Borders, Building Connections, explore how the concept of the Anthropocene shapes our understanding of planetary environmental and societal change. Bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines, the workshops examine topics such as landscape transformations and ecological memory, and consider effective ways to communicate these pressing issues. The main focus is on the role of Central Europe in the global discourse on the Anthropocene.

The program features roundtable discussions, field visits, and collaborative sessions on integrating Anthropocene themes into education and public engagement. Junior researchers will have the opportunity to elaborate their research projects, exchange ideas, and network acros status groups. A dedicated student session will explore ways to incorporate Anthropocene topics into university curricula. Beyond the workshops, this initiative strengthens interdisciplinary education by linking existing programs, including the Anthropocene: The Contemporary World in a Transdisciplinary Perspective micro-credential at Charles University, the Vienna Anthropocene Network lecture series, and a planned new study program at Humboldt University in Berlin. By fostering long-term collaboration, the workshops aim to advance research and education on the Anthropocene, building lasting connections across institutions and disciplines.

Summary of the proposal:

Can we speak of colonialism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)? And can we use categories of (post-)colonialism to analyze the history and present of the region? The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022 has brought these questions to the fore with urge. They tie in with a broader debate about the place of the region in global political geography, as a former "Second World" of the Cold War era and economic "semi-periphery" in past and present. Here, the issue of race also acquires great significance: given the region's in-between position, are Central and East Europeans "fully white" in global hierarchies of race? And how do they, in turn, negotiate racial difference within and beyond the region? Bringing together senior and junior scholars working on the global history of CEE and on the history of race in the region, these workshops will discuss these key topics of historical and contemporary analysis.

Summary of the proposal:

The importance of Pharmacology education in the age of misinformation and disinformation

The workshop aims to bring together established researchers and Ph.D. students to create a platform that will be helpful in sharing topics regarding drugs and dietary supplements that might be detrimental to the public health. We would like to identify the misleading statements that are shared in person or via social media and increase the role of pharmacologists and pharmacists in educational activities towards the public. The extent of dissemination of medical misinformation is rapidly growing with the digital era and we perceive this risk even more intensely with the development of artificial intelligence.

Together we want to find ways for universities to be actively involved in the entire process, how they can participate in transmission of relevant and true information about medication according to evidence–based medicine, and educate the public about risk of inappropriate use of medicines.

There are three main aims of the workshop:

• description and identification of problematic topics that represent the most common misinformation in the public space

• finding ways how professionals can approach the public in the field of pharmacy, pharmacology and humanities and how to improve health education among people of all ages

• proposals for possible cooperation on education towards the public, especially towards the youth

Summary of the proposal:

Summary of the proposal:

Interpretation lies at the core of scholarly inquiry in Egyptology, where textual, material, and iconographic sources are often fragmentary, ambiguous, or detached from their original contexts. Engaging critically with these sources allows researchers to reconstruct aspects of the ancient world, but it also requires methodological transparency and ongoing self-reflection. While innovative approaches can generate new insights, they also carry the risk of overinterpretation – especially when modern perspectives or ideological biases are projected onto the past. At the same time, a narrow focus on recording and describing objects, cultural characteristics, and textual or linguistic phenomena can also lead to a significant lack of interpretation, i.e. under-interpretation, and restrict research from gaining meaningful insights. The key challenge, therefore, is to strike a balance between necessary interpretation and scholarly restraint.

Interdisciplinary methodologies have expanded the analytical scope of ancient studies, offering fresh perspectives on historical phenomena. However, they also require scholars to remain aware of disciplinary boundaries and methodological limitations. The selective transmission and preservation of sources further complicate interpretation, making it risky to rely too heavily on isolated data points. Given these challenges, it is essential to critically examine the conditions under which knowledge is produced and interpreted. The influence of contemporary intellectual paradigms and cultural assumptions on the reading of ancient evidence highlights the need for self-reflective scholarship.

Digital tools and AI offer new possibilities but can reinforce biases and heuristic models. As AI-driven analysis is becoming increasingly popular in academic research, scrutinizing its epistemic authority is all the more crucial. Simultaneously, post-truth discourse and pseudo-scientific narratives threaten academic expertise, necessitating scholarly vigilance.

For young scholars, the ability to critically engage with interpretative frameworks is fundamental to independent research. In this context, a dedicated workshop on the challenges of interpretation – and the pitfalls of over- and underinterpretation – provides a valuable forum to discuss methodological rigor, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the ethical dimensions of scholarly analysis. By fostering a critical examination of interpretative practices, the event aims to equip participants with the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to navigate the complexities of meaning-making in ancient studies.

Summary of the proposal:

Within the CENTRAL project, in which we have been participating since 2016 with annual workshops, we will organize an onsite academic workshop in humanities and social sciences, entitled “The power of voices and silences”, taking place at the Eötvös Loránd University in March 2026. The event – organized by Prof. Barna (ELTE Budapest) in cooperation with Dr. Júlia Székely (ELTE), Prof. Kateřina Králová (CUNI Prague), Prof. Hannes Gradits (HU Berlin), Dr. Tomasz Rawski (Uni Warsaw) and Dr. Jelena Dureinovic (Uni Wien), and – will give the opportunity to present research of both senior and junior scholars, including Ph.D. students as the core group.

This workshop is a follow-up to the previous CENTRAL workshops that focused on transformations of memory cultures and politics, on discourses and narratives of victimhood concurrence, on public memory and the institutionalization of memory, as well as on the materialities of memory in Central, East and South-East Europe.

This workshop will centre on the individual and collective dynamics of remembering and forgetting in Central and Southeast Europe. In every society, practices of remembering and forgetting play a crucial role in shaping history, culture and identities. Within this process various public and private actors determine which historical events and figures are celebrated, which traumas are acknowledged, and which narratives are marginalized or erased: individuals, communities and institutions can all amplify certain voices, while silencing others.

In this sense, practices of remembering and forgetting are closely intertwined: instead of being separate and passive processes, they can be understood as interrelated and active – social, political and cultural – tools. Political leaders and institutions often instrumentalize historical memory to justify policies, consolidate national unity, or mobilize support in times of crisis, but also to strengthen their legitimacy, frame political opponents, and shape collective emotions such as pride, resentment, or fear. By selectively emphasizing or downplaying historical events, they construct narratives that serve ideological agendas and influence public discourse. At the same time, competing memory narratives can spark social and political tensions, as different groups seek recognition for their versions of history, leading to contested interpretations of the past.

The workshop will explore what happens when certain histories are remembered, celebrated, or commemorated, and others are excluded or forgotten? We seek to undertand the complex and intertwined dynamics of remembering and forgetting and to reveal how voices – both vocal and silent – shape collective and personal memory, what narratives emerge through these voices, and how silences function in the construction of histories.

The workshop brings together contributions discussing the conceptual approaches and challenges of studying practices of remembering and forgetting in Central and Southeastern Europe and studying specific sites of memory, mnemonic agents and practices.

Summary of the proposal:

Based on the great success of the previous trilateral graduate student workshops in Prague, Warsaw and Vienna (2022-25) we have expanded our joint activities by integrating a new partner university in 2025 (Eötves Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary).

The relatively open format is producing ever more interest and applications each year we are running the Central workshop. Each university will be represented by three ompetitively selected graduate students and 1-2 senior researchers. The main objective of the workshop is to enhance the international academic exchange of PhD students in the humanities and social sciences between four Central European universities. Based on their respective PhD projects, but adapted to the general theme of the workshop, the program will be based on the US model of short presentations of pre-written papers. This will allow ample time for discussion of each paper. The workshop will explore topics related to comparative and transnational approaches, focusing on the history of transformations after 1918/1945/1989. A Polanyian perspective will be used to look beyond the Central European region and reach out for global connections.

The four main objectives of the workshop are 1) to enhance the quality of PhD programs in modern history and related social sciences by strengthening the international exchange of knowledge and skills among PhD students as well as senior researchers in the field; 2) to promote cooperation between four Central European universities (Charles University in Prague, University of Vienna, University of Warsaw, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest); 3) to further strengthen this cooperation by developing a joint or double degree PhD programme (co-tutelle). This has already materialized (see below), but it depends on mobilizing doctoral students for our cotutelles scheme by our productive workshop format; 4) The feedback at the workshop is also important to turn the submitted papers into journal publications

The two-day workshop will take place at University of Vienna and will be attended by six senior researchers and up to 12 PhD students from the partner universities. The event will be organised by Prof. Philipp Ther and Prof. Claudia Kraft (University of Vienna), Prof. Ota Konrád and Dr. Václav Šmidrkal (Charles University, Prague), Prof. Jerzy Kochanowski (University of Warsaw) and Ass. Prof. Márkus Keller (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest).

Summary of the proposal:

Our CENTRAL workshop series, titled "Translating the Nation," continues its core mission of bridging cultures through Modern Greek (MG) literature and language, underlining synergies between didactics and research.

The CENTRAL workshop "Translating the Nation" facilitates cultural and literary exchange across Modern Greek departments/faculties in Central European universities through collaborative research interests in cultural translation, language, and literature. This year the network is extended with the inclusion of Eötvös Loránd University (Budapest). Two workshops organized for the year address (1) the uses and impacts of AI in translation practices, in educational contexts and in research into literature and (2) global reach and reception of Modern Greek literature and regional literary traditions resonating globally in the digitalized literary environment of the contemporary world. Junior researchers at BA, MA, and postdoctoral levels are actively engaged, present their original research, and are given structured mentorship as part of the programme for the sustainability and academic growth of this dynamic research network.